The Slow Colors of Love
by Ruri Aimi
Summary: A friend of a friend. That was how Raku and Ruri were introduced to each other. Compared to his "relationship" with Chitoge and his strong feelings towards Onodera, his friendship with Ruri would naturally take only a very small portion of his attention. But with their colors slowly being revealed to each other, which feelings will wither, and which ones will sprout?
1. Indecisive

**A Raku x Ruri fanfic. I know, I'm a weird one for shipping these two, since it's not a very popular ship (if it even is shipped). But I think this pairing has potential, and I'm determined to make it work in the form of fanfiction. This is going to be a multi-chapter fanfic, so please look forward to more chapters. Also, I haven't read much of the manga and haven't watched the anime at all, so feel free to leave a review on how I can stay true to their characters. R &R for improvements, advice or just a nice comment to make my day. With that said, please enjoy "The Slow Colors of Love"**

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The day started just like any other day. For an average student like Raku Ichijō, he expected the usual school happenings: get to class somewhat late, sleep through half of the classes by accident, and the usual antics with the gang during their spare time. It was already break-time, and things had gone according to what he predicted.

It was weird, but he had gotten used to the group's outrageous antics, and honestly, he wouldn't have it any other way. His arguments with Chitoge and the extreme personalities of Tsugumi and Marika became routine in his daily life, one he couldn't avoid and live without.

Lunch with them went just as normal, the usual talks and bickering about their day and days before were most often their preferred topic to bring up whilst eating their lunches.

Suddenly, in the middle of his delicious homemade lunch, Raku felt his throat go dry and realized he forgot to bring his own drink. He stood up and excused himself from the group to buy one from a vending machine. As he had left the view of his friends behind the door, a figure started following him.

Although there were vending machines available in the school building, he decided to go to the one in the school park. The fresh air and green scenery were always worth the extra distance he had to walk. He fed the machine a few coins and right away had difficulty picking which flavor to pick from the selection. As he rubbed his chin, considering his options, a familiar voice came up from behind him.

"Geez, you're indecisive even when it comes to drinks." He quickly turned around and saw the source of the somewhat cold comment.

"Miyamoto? Sorry, are you in line for the vending machine? You can order yours first, I'm still deciding."

She declined, saying she was there to have a talk with him, one she cannot have in front of the others. This turned his attention from the machine to Ruri.

"Do you know what day today is?" She asked. He thought for a bit before answering.

"June 10, right?" He was confused as to why she had to ask this in private. It seemed quite normal to him.

"And do you know what day is coming up soon?"

"The 11th?" Hearing this, Ruri felt like a glass bottle containing all her patience had cracked. She knew the boy was dense, but there were times when she simply couldn't handle him. She walked up to him, causing him to stumble back onto the vending machine. She started poking his chest accusingly. They were awfully close, and this made him feel somewhat intimidated by her piercing green eyes.

"Idiot, and here I thought you spent all day thinking about Kosaki." Raku blushed madly at her statement. How could she accuse him of such a thing in public? Well, she wasn't wrong, but still, there were some things that were best kept private. Before he could retort, she cut him off. "June 15? Does that ring a bell at least?" Finally, the gears clicked in his mind. June 15, how could it slip his mind? Of all the important things he could have forgotten, he just had to forget this one.

"O-Onodera's birthday!" Ruri stepped back, finally giving him some space. Although she was still sort of annoyed that it slipped his mind, at least he didn't forget about it totally. She just wanted to make sure that he would get her something for her birthday. If he does, that's another push for Kosaki to finally confess her feelings someday. After all, she had been supporting her since the day she realized her friend's feelings for the man in front of her, who was currently wallowing in self-pity. As she was about to walk back to the classroom, she heard him call out to her.

"Have you gotten her a gift yet?" Without turning around, she responded.

"No, not yet. I plan on buying her one tomorrow. I'm pretty sure everyone else except you and I have already bought her one." That last part made him feel like an arrow shot through his chest, but he couldn't falter now. All that mattered was that he got a gift for her in the end. The only problem was…

"Then… Please let me come along!" He said bowing to her. This came as a surprise to her. She had never gone shopping alone with anyone other than Kosaki. It didn't take long for her to guess why he wanted to come along with her.

"Let me guess, you don't know what to get her, do you?" She said, turning slightly to face the boy.

"I mean, I have an idea of getting her sweets, but I'm sure she can make those easily enough. A book would've been nice, but I don't know her tastes. And I'm clueless when it comes to accessories." He said in a defeated voice. Although they were close friends and he had a crush on her, he never really knew about Kosaki's tastes and preferences when it came to these things. She was the type to not really share these types of things that freely.

Ruri looked at the poor boy in front of her. It was a sad sight indeed, but one she could personally relate too. She faced the same problem before when she first befriended Kosaki, but instead of having a friend close to Kosaki to help her choose, she had to go purely on her deductions and analysis of her dear friend, which turned out to be accurate. She looked down at her watch and noticed that lunch is almost over, and they had been outside for a good while already.

She sighed as she turned around to face Raku.

"Fine, you'd be hopeless and probably bring a gift more suited for Chitoge if I don't help you pick one out, right?"

Although he wouldn't admit it, he couldn't help but slightly agree with Ruri's cold but truthful statement. He had always known she was the blunt type, never to sugar coat anything. But he guessed that was what made her reliable for these sort of situations. If anything, she was the most reliable one in their hectic group of friends. All he could do was nervously chuckle in agreement.

"Well, you are the closest to her."

"Class is about to start soon. How about you just give me your email address and we can plan out the timing for tomorrow later?" Sounded like a good plan. Raku took out his phone excitedly and exchanged contacts with her. He was staring at a 'Ruri Miyamoto' in his contact list, which made him realize he had never gotten her email until now. Before he could thank her, he looked up at his phone to see Ruri already a good distance away and headed towards the stairs, leaving him alone in the field.

Well, that was Ruri for him. They were friends, for sure, but they weren't very close, to begin with. However, he was sure they would be there for each other if they were ever needed, and this was one of those times. He smiled thinking about their friendship before walking back to the vending machine. He was still unsure of which flavor to pick, they all seemed delicious to him. Blueberry, Orange, Chocolate, and Strawberry; these left him undecided for a while. Meanwhile, from the stairwell windows, Ruri was watching him, annoyed by the situation reoccurring in front of her.

 _"Just make up your mind already, you idiot."_ She thought to herself. Her glare sent a shiver up his spine before she continued her way to class.

"Gah! Whatever!" He closed his eyes and randomly pressed a button. After a few machine noises, he heard a clunk come from below and he opened his eyes. He reached into the machine and pulled out a flavor he never really noticed: Green Tea. Curious as to what it tasted like, he popped it open and took a sip.

"Wow. You aren't half bad." He drank it slowly rather than chugging it all down to quench his thirst. It wasn't as sweet as the other flavors that he would finish the can in one drink. This one was a bit bland, as expected of tea compared to the sweet drinks, but it was calming. It made him want to sit on the nearby bench and just savor every drop of it. Eventually, he finished it and started making his way to class.

He walked on the tree-traced path to class, refreshed and relaxed from the drink. He was walking slowly, this time taking in his surroundings with a sense of mindfulness, bliss. As he heard the trees ruffle lightly, the wind blowing against his bangs, it felt as if his eyes had been opened for the first time, all thanks to an accidental green tea drink.


	2. Rendezvous

**Time for a continuation of the last chapter. Thanks for the positive reviews and support for this shipping so far, it really adds that extra motivation to keep writing. I'm going to try catching up on the source material for my later chapters when there will be references or alternations to the main story line. That's all I've really got to say, so I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last one!**

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7:00 am. The time when Raku's sleep was disturbed by his phone's alarm. Without lifting his head, he fumbled his arms around the source of the sound. It was the start of the weekend, and most people would prefer to sleep in a bit later than they would on weekdays. Raku, on the other hand, couldn't have that simple pleasure of sleep, not when he had a family, or a gang, of Yakuzas to feed.

Feeling something solid and vibrating in his hand, he grabbed it and brought the phone close to his face. With just a peek of the eye, he flipped open his phone and pressed a button, shutting off the alarm. As the alarm screen closed, the 'Recent Messages' tab came into view, the name 'Ruri Miyamoto' being the most recent one. Having a vague recollection of their short conversation, he decided to re-read it.

"Bonyari Mall. Courtyard, by the Legendary Fir Tree. 1:00 pm. Sharp." Straight to the point, as usual, Ruri.

"The big local mall? Alright, seen you then. Thanks again." And with that, their conversation had come to a quick end.

That jogged his memories back. She messaged him a few hours after he had arrived home from school. In one quick text, she had pretty much planned out the entire meet-up by herself and expected him to abide by it strictly. To others, it may have made her seem bossy, but to Raku, it simply amazed him how cool she could be at times.

He closed his phone and placed it in his pocket as he lazily got up from his bed and walked down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. The sooner he served it, the sooner he can get ready and leave for the mall. It wasn't the fact that he thought she was cold, but he knew she wasn't the type to wait long for tardy people. He turned on the stove and prepared the ingredients, waiting for the stove to heat up. As he stood there waiting, he heard people waking up and walking towards the living room. Looks like the morning was about to get more lively now.

The yakuza greeted their young master with much enthusiasm, thanking him for breakfast. After an hour of cooking, Raku popped his head out of the doorway, announcing that breakfast was ready to be picked up from the kitchen. The whole household practically cheered as they made a single file line for the kitchen. Breakfast flew by smoothly for everyone, and Raku's healthy breakfast was what really got them hyped for the day. As soon as everyone finished, the gangsters just laid around chatting amongst themselves, while Raku headed upstairs to prepare for the mall.

 _"Let's see, it's about 8:30. I have about 3 hours and 30 minutes before I have to leave. That's enough time to prepare, I guess."_ With the spare time, he decided to pick out his clothes and bathe afterward. It would be the first time that just the two of them hung out, so he wanted to make sure he at least left a good impression. Being mutual friends already was no excuse to half-ass appearances.

A few minutes picking out his clothes concluded with him wearing a V-neck with a cardigan on top, paired with casual jeans folded up to his ankles and boat shoes. Content with this and with a lot of time to spare, he opted to take a nice long bath and just take it easy. Once he decided that he felt refreshed from the bath, he stepped out and dried up to get dressed. At 10 am and already prepared to leave the house, he had more free time than he expected, and he didn't want to leave too early.

With nothing else to do around the house, he just sat on his bed and eyed his room for something to pass the time. As he scanned around, his eyes landed on his small bookshelf. He was never much of a reader, so unread books remained unread for long periods of time. Surrendering to the crushing feeling of boredom, he stood up from his bed and picked one random book from the pile. It was a light novel. The summary at the back actually piqued his interest a bit.

 _"A unique romance novel between a high school boy, a powerful mage, and the 4 seasons personified by her powers?"_ Thinking to himself, he looked back up at the clock. Realizing again that he had way too much spare time, he decided to give reading this light novel a try. It was new, it was different to him. He was a studious student, and the only time he ever touched a book was for academic purposes, not entertainment. He was skeptical but really had no other choice. As he read the words and flipped through the pages, the more he got immersed in the story. As he laid in bed thoroughly enjoying the story for all its romance and comedy, he lost track of time.

As he finally reached a good stopping point for the novel, he was shocked to see that time had flown by so quickly.

"What?! 12:30 already? Crap, I'm going to be late!" Without a second's thought, he placed the novel in his bag, checked his phone and wallet, and rushed out his room. He bolted down the stairs and out the door, but not without letting the household know about him leaving. Everyone just gave him a good farewell and wished him a good day. Although there were times when he hated being part of the yakuza, they really did make him feel like family. With that, he ran off to the local mall.

Ruri was waiting under the 'Legendary Fir Tree' for Raku. At most, she expected him to be 15 minutes early. At least, on time, but 5 minutes have already passed, and for someone like Ruri, 5 minutes is her maximum patience capacity.

 _"Guess I got stood up, huh? Whatever, that's less baggage for me to carry and that's his loss."_ She hesitated but soon began walking towards the stores' section of the mall.

Although she supported the development between Raku and Kosaki, there were times when she would doubt it as well. Times when she would ask herself what Kosaki saw in him; this was one of those times. Deep down, she wanted what was best for her dear friend, and although getting stood up did not affect her one bit, she knew it would have hurt her friend quite so. Before she could get very far, she felt something – someone – tug on her hand. She looked behind her to see Raku Ichijō, panting heavily.

"M-Miyamoto, I'm… sorry…! I got… caught up in… something…" He said between breaths. Ruri eyed him down, and he could obviously feel her much deserved glare on him. "I'll make it… up to you… today, somehow…" She ultimately decided to let it go. Since he was willing to make it up to her, she would let him off easy this time.

"Take a few seconds to catch your breath and let's go. And let go of my hand as well." He looked down to see him gripping her hand firmly, but also gently. He quickly pulled his arm back, embarrassed after realizing he had been holding her hand for a solid 30 seconds. He hasn't even held Kosaki's hands for that long before. On the other hand, Ruri showed no ounce of embarrassment. She simply stared at him patiently for him to regain his composure.

"Alright, I'm good now." With a nod from her, she walked into the stores' area while he followed behind her. "So do you know what you're getting Onodera?"

"No. I just walk around stores until I spot something that I know she will like."

"Woah, so sort of like an 'Onodera sense', huh?"

"An interesting way to put it, but I guess so."

Not much conversation happened between them. They weren't like two peas in a pod, but more like two pods of a stem. After a few minutes of diligent scanning, Ruri saw a store whose contents caught her interest. She walked into the store and as Raku followed her in, he noticed it was an accessory store.

They spent a few minutes inside discussing which ones would suit their friend nicely. They found cute wallets and pendants, all of which would suit Kosaki nicely. As they continued walking through the store, taking note of all the items that they thought were viable gift options, they entered the hairpin section. There were all sorts of hair pins available, ranging from simple shapes to complex floral designs. From one of the stands, Ruri picked out one hairpin: a metal lilac shaped pin that held a green lapis lazuli in the center.

"Woah, that's a beautiful design!" Raku blurted out from behind, which surprised her quite a bit. She nearly forgot she was here with Raku. She agreed that it was indeed beautiful, but wasn't sure if it would fit well on Kosaki. She put it back on the stand, voicing her unsureness to her shopping partner. He thought for a bit before giving his two cents.

"How about you try it on and see if it still looks good when worn. Sometimes, how an item looked didn't reflect how it actually looks on someone, you know." For the first time today, she actually heard him suggest something worth considering. She decided to give his suggestion a try and pinned it on her hair. She wasn't used to wearing accessories like hair pins, often opting to just tie her hair and leave her bangs down.

"Well, do you think it would suit Kosaki?"

With the side of her hair brushed behind her ears, complimented by the hairpin, and her bangs swept to the side, he had to admit she looked quite attractive.

"Well… Looking at it now, it doesn't really match her style. If anything, it looks cuter on you and matches your eyes well." Of course, he was just voicing his honest opinion, so he didn't feel embarrassed complimenting Ruri like that.

"I see…"

She looked at a mirror to confirm his speculation. He was right, it wouldn't have matched Kosaki's simple outlook. However, looking at herself, she could see why he would think it looked good on her. It wasn't often she would get compliments from others. She usually styled herself plainly, so she didn't expect many, if at all. That doesn't mean she wouldn't welcome such praises, however. Before she could let it get any further into her head, she shook her thoughts, and her nearly unnoticeable smile, away and placed the pin back.

"Well, this is the end of the store, and all we've got to buy from here is that wallet and pendant we saw earlier."

"Eh? Are you not going to buy that hair pin? It looked like you liked it." He saw the expression she made when she noticed how well it went with her. Ruri turned around and faced him with a serious glare.

"We're here for Kosaki, not for ourselves. Remember that, Ichijō-kun."

"R-Right. Let's go buy the wallet and pendant then." Intimidating, he thought.

With a quick nod from Ruri, they headed back. After agreeing that it would make good gifts, they went to the cashier to pay for their own gift. As Raku prepared to pay, he started frantically searching for his wallet.

"I think I dropped my wallet back there. Ruri, you can pay for yours right now, I'll be with you outside." Ruri sighed. She wondered how incompetent the boy could be as to drop his wallet. He ran back to the end of the store while she went ahead and paid for her gift. She didn't have to wait long outside the store for him to return with his wallet and pay for his gift. When they finally met up, it was 3 pm, still quite early.

Raku asked if she had any other plans in the mall. Before she could say that she was just going straight home, her stomach made a low but audible grumble. Although she tried to keep her face straight and stoic, Raku could see the embarrassment written on her face.

"Looks like you have room for one more plan." He said with a huge friendly smirk, which was not well received by her. He offered to treat her to lunch, to make up for being late earlier. Normally, she wouldn't accept being in the debt of others, but it seemed like her hunger got the better of her and she agreed to let him. After all, he did say he would make it up to her, and what she wanted right now was to eat; it was a win-win situation, she rationalized.

It was 3 pm already, time sure flies. They had the whole day to themselves and they already got what they came for, so they decided to make the most of their time there in the mall. As Raku lead the way looking for a nice place to have lunch, Ruri followed right behind him, as if their roles from earlier had switched. He looked around, asked people for directions, and even struggled a bit with the pamphlets looking for a decent place.

Ruri noticed that he was trying unusually hard for such a trivial thing. She told him that she would have been fine eating anywhere, but he said he wanted both of them to have a nice place to eat and relax. He said it with a gentle smile, a smile she couldn't say no to for some reason.

"Whatever, let's see if you can impress me then." The look on Raku quickly turned competitive, determined, as if to say 'just watch me'.

As she continued to follow him, she realized something: he was trying his best for her. If it had just been him, he might have just settled for something like a burger fast-food place, but since she was with him, he wanted her to have something better than that.

 _"I guess he's reliable when it comes to these kinds of things."_ She looked back up at him, his face still determined as ever. She didn't feel it, maybe she was too engrossed in her own thoughts or hunger, but a small smile crept up on her face. Time for her seemed to go slower, but whether she noticed it or not, she wouldn't have minded either way.

Because she wouldn't admit it to anyone else, but today had been somewhat enjoyable.

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 **Darn, this was longer than I thought. Good thing there was a good stopping point. The word difference between this chapter and the last was ~1000. Leave your thoughts about the length and content of the chapter. Do you prefer it short like the last one? Or is this length OK with you all? Until next chapter!**


	3. Childlike Tendencies

**I hope you're all enjoying the fanfic and pairing as much as I am writing and coming up with ways to bring them together. It's sometimes difficult to make these two work since they have such conflicting personalities and they weren't that close in canon, but it feels so good when I find a way to. I do hope the Ruri in this chapter didn't seem so off-character. I wanted to make her transition between childish and cold because I was aiming for that gap moe (look it up~). What do you think about her transitions? If you're enjoying the story so far, leave a review, favorite, and follow! Makes me feel good inside :^) Onto the story!**

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It took a while, and a few dead ends, but Raku had finally managed to find a decent place to sit, eat, and relax with Ruri after their gift shopping. Upon entering, they searched for a table that seemed comfortable. Raku spotted one at the corner of the establishment. It was isolated, well lit, and offered them a lot of space to move. Without a moment's pause, they quickly sat down at the table, opposite to each other. Raku felt proud of himself, he found a pretty good eatery and table for them, the first taking quite a bit of effort. The feeling of pride, however, was quickly shot down by Ruri's deathly glare.

"I hope this café was worth the 15 minutes of hunger you put me through, Ichijō-kun." She said his name with spite. If she was hungry then, she was ferociously hungry now. She swore she was going to put Raku's wallet through hell for this.

"Come on, have some faith in me, will you?" He motioned his hand to the menus on the table.

They both picked up the menus and looked through it. It seemed as if he wasn't wrong about the place. So many desserts to choose from, they all looked delicious and were surprisingly cheap too. Even Ruri had to admit he did a good job finding this place, but she wasn't too hasty to judge. The real deal starts when the food is served.

Raku had no problem picking his order: a green tea ice cream parfait. Ever since that green tea drink he bought yesterday, he has been curious as to what other green tea based foods he'd been missing out on. Meanwhile, Ruri was having trouble deciding on what she would like. How could she simply choose between the Mango Sorbet and the Strawberry Marshmallow Cake? Or the Berry Mix Ice Cream Deluxe and the Blueberry Cheesecake?

While she was pondering her choices, Raku couldn't help but notice the face she was making. Her eyes sparkled in anticipation, her mouth gaped by a bit and he swore he could almost see her drool leaking out a bit. He'd gotten used to the stoic-faced Ruri, so this was a nice change to see. She was too engrossed in the menu to notice she had let her guard down, and he was too engrossed in her facial expression to notice she was staring back at him.

"If you keep staring, I'll poke your eyes out right now." This pulled him out of his semi-trance like state. He wondered how long he had been staring at her face, which had reverted back to its usual stoic look. He heard her finger tapping on the menu on the table, pointing to the Blueberry Cheesecake. As much as she tried to hide it, Raku could hear the excitement in her voice as she told him what she wanted. He could get used to this Ruri, he thought to himself.

As he stood up to order at the counter, Ruri was left with her thoughts. She thought about the café. It wasn't too big nor too small. It was the right size to gain attention from outside and give enough room for customers to enjoy their space. The designs inside were aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and fit the café atmosphere. She could see why this got such positive reviews from others. She gave credit where credit was due; he managed to surprise her this time, but she wasn't going to let him know of course.

After eyeing the café for a bit, she noticed that Raku left his bag on the table open. Not that she was nosy, but she saw a book inside whose cover looked familiar. Making sure he was looking the other way, she slowly raised the bag opening to get a clearer look at the book. To her surprise, it was one of the older light novels of her favorite author: Ruri Aimi. She didn't expect Raku to share the same interests as her, especially not in the literary department.

It didn't take long for their orders to arrive. She had spotted Raku carrying two trays in both hands, each containing their orders. He moved so gracefully, one could mistake him as a waiter in the café. That was all due to his experience from serving his huge family meals every day.

Before he handed over her cake, he decided to tease her for a bit. After all, he was treating her, so there was no harm in doing so, he thought. He slowly brought the Blueberry Cheesecake closer to her, and he could see her eyes sparkle as they did earlier. Suddenly he pulled the cake back, which also brought her back to reality.

"Well? Anything you have to say to me?" Her facial expressions changed from shock to sulking, to defeat, and then back to stoic. Raku honestly thought that whole thing was too cute.

"'Please'. There. Now, cake." She said in the most monotone voice she could do.

He just sighed. He got what he asked for at least. He handed her the tray as her eyes lit back up again, and a small childlike smile barely visible on her face. A small smile appeared on his lips as well. Guess he got more than what he bargained for.

They spent the rest of their lunch quietly, both immersed in their orders. The green tea ice cream Raku ordered had helped him relax. To him, green tea had this calming effect on him, sort of like a drug. When he closed his eyes, his senses became enhanced. He could taste the green tea become sweeter as the seconds passed, the smell of freshly ground coffee in the café get richer, and hear the sounds of… Ruri's small moans of pleasure with each bite of her cake.

He opened his eyes to marvel at the sight of Ruri's ecstatic face, drowned in the pleasure of flavor. Once again, he got lost in a trance staring at Ruri's expressions. This time, he was pulled out of it with a cold and soft sensation. He looked down to see cheesecake dripping just below his eye, and Ruri with her spoon leaning forward.

"Tch, I missed." He decided two can play that game. His advantage? His ice cream was colder. Flicking a portion of his ice cream, it landed right on her cheek. The sudden cold sensation on her face surprised her enough to lift her off her seat slightly. The two traded angry glares, trying to make the other back down. After a few seconds, Raku's face softened as he burst out into laughter. This reaction confused Ruri. Before she could ask, as if reading her mind, he gave an answer to her confusion.

"What are we, kids? We look so stupid right now." He used his index finger to wipe the cake off his face. "Thanks for the share~." He gave a smug smile before licking the piece of cake. He admitted it at least tasted really good.

Ruri also wiped the ice cream off her face with her fingers and tasted it. It wasn't as sweet as her cake, but the flavor felt comforting. It was a nice way to balance the sweetness of her cake. Without even realizing it, her hand holding her spoon automatically went in for a scoop of Raku's ice cream. Before she could get one, however, it was quickly blocked with his hand.

"Hey, hey, you already have your cheesecake. Mind your own food." He pulled his cup closer, which only made her lean in further.

"Aren't you supposed to be treating me? How could you call yourself a man?"

"Isn't that what your cheesecake is for?!" The two bickered back and forth, Raku defending his parfait and Ruri trying to take more of it. He was lucky he had long arms, all he had to do was place his hand on her head and that did a good job of keeping her at bay. With her efforts futile, she sat down on her seat and resumed eating her own cake.

In the short time they both spent together, Raku must have learned how to read through Ruri's stoic face. It wasn't obvious, but there were small details on her face that showed she was sulking a bit: her slightly puffed cheeks, her downcast eyes which lost a bit of their sparkle. Raku sighed at what he was about to do.

"The least you could do was ask, you know?" He slid the parfait closer to Ruri, which brought her mood up again. She gave a suspicious look to Raku. It didn't look like he had any ulterior motives. He was sincerely offering her some of his parfait. She gladly took two spoons of his ice cream, pulling back his cup after the second. No matter how hard she tried, her face would always give away how much she loved the balance in her mouth, and Raku would always be able to pick up on it. She gave him a small but sincere thanks, which he gladly accepted, before returning to her cheesecake.

 _"Well, at least she's enjoying this much."_ He ate the last bits of his parfait. From the corner of his eye, he could see Ruri with her eyes looking at his empty cup, widened with shock. _"Hey, at least let me have the last bite!"_ He was surprised to learn that Ruri had a massive sweet tooth, and could sometimes get childish over it. It was a side of her he never saw before, and that made him much more interested in her. He never got to know her on a personal scale, so he wondered what other quirks she had that he didn't know.

After they have both finished their lunch, they thanked the shop owners and left the café. It was currently 5 pm, so they had a bit more spare time for themselves. Raku asked if there was anywhere else Ruri wanted to visit. Ruri thought for a bit. The mall was huge, so there were undoubtedly many stores she could visit in her spare time. She remembered that there was a massive bookstore that she often visited to check out books and read in.

"There's a bookstore I often visit over there." She pointed to its general direction. "I might as well check out the new releases this month." She started walking towards the store and so did Raku. She looked back to see her shopping partner had followed her and asked him why.

"Hmm? You don't want me to?" She didn't know why, but the way he said it stung her. She realized the way she said it must have come off as offensive, repulsive of him even. Ruri can be cold, but she wasn't harsh, especially not to her friends.

"I didn't say that. I meant why you would want to come with me to such a boring place." Hearing her correct herself, this made him a bit relieved inside. For a moment there, he thought Ruri actually wanted him to go away. If anything, she was probably concerned about him being bored. He couldn't help but smile at this revelation.

"I guess I just want to know the kind of stuff you're interested in." This came as a surprise to her. Not many people have ever been curious about her interests before. As someone who always looked so plain, it would be easy for others to write off her unknown interests as possibly boring or uninteresting. But not Raku. She knew he wasn't the type of guy to make those kinds of assumptions about someone. Her mouth was gaped from his response but was closed shortly afterward.

She turned back to face forward and kept walking. Raku was surprised by this and started wondering why she didn't give a response. Was his reason not good enough? Did it come off as creepy? Did she actually want him to go away? Before he could ask, her eyes looked back at him as she gave him a quizzical look.

"What are you just standing there for? Keep up or I'm leaving you, Ichijō-kun." Typical Ruri, he thought.


	4. Commonalities

**Oh boy, my views and followers got a sudden boost over the weekend! That makes me really glad, you know. This is the end of the Mall chapter arc, so look forward to the next arc. I also learned that Raku calls Ruri _Miyamoto_ and Ruri calls Raku _Ichijō-kun_ thanks to the OVA episode, so I'm gonna go back through the old chapters and change the way they refer to each other in dialogues. This chapter took a bit of time for me to write because I was kind of worried about Ruri's personality in this chapter again, but I think I made it work this time again; what do you think? I like these pre-chapter notes because it lets me give you a heads up about the story and lets me ask you guys for your opinions and advice. R&R, and enjoy the last chapter of the Mall chapter arc!**

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Ruri wasn't lying when she said the bookstore was massive. Due to his inexperience with visiting bookstores, Raku expected a few rows of bookshelves. So when the two arrived at their final destination, he had an awe-struck expression. The bookstore was in a cylindrical shape with two floors and was filled with shelves of literary works. Ruri, on the other hand, had visited the store several times to check on the latest releases, so the grand scene seemed normal to her.

The first section the two visited was the light novel section. Ruri had always been a fan of light novels. Sure, she had read heavier novels from time to time, but if she had to pick a favorite novel type, it would be light novels. As she browsed through the selections, she noticed Raku eagerly reading titles and summaries. Thinking back to the café, she did see Raku owning a light novel from her favorite author.

Perhaps out of curiosity, but she wanted to check if their interests matched or clashed. After all, she didn't have any friends that enjoyed literary arts as much as her. She walked along the shelves, searching for the section marked with an 'S'. Raku noticed her, who seemed to be looking for something particular, and followed her. He now knew that Ruri was fond of light novels, and was happy to know that they shared that common interest. As he walked behind her, she suddenly stopped in her tracks to pull a book out of the shelf. Curious, he read the title of the novel.

 _"…Seasons of Romance… By Ruri… Aimi?"_ He remembered that title, the same title that caught his interest this morning and caused him to be late. He walked closer to Ruri and eyed the book, which she clearly noticed. All according to plan, she thought. She feigned ignorance and asked him what he was looking at.

"Miyamoto, have your read that book before?"

"Yes, I have but it's been a while since I've read it. It was one of Aimi-san's earliest works and her first romantic light novel." Based on her knowledge of the book and author, Raku guessed she was a fan of Aimi's work. He was surprised to know not only did they share an interest in light novels but also in the same author. "Do you know about it, Ichijō-kun?"

"I actually started reading it this morning because I had a lot of spare time. It was such a great read, I couldn't put it d –"

"And that was why you were late, despite having 'a lot of spare time'." She had cut him off and deduced the reason behind his tardiness. Raku had dug his own grave so he just gave her a nervous chuckle. She had already forgiven him for being tardy, mainly because he treated her to lunch, but knowing the lame reason behind it was another story. He expected Ruri to give him her all-too-famous glare.

"How far did you read?" This came as unexpected for Raku. He looked at Ruri to see her clutching the book tightly to her chest, her eyes giving him a blank yet expectant stare. She was interested in what Raku thought about the book. Although the book was old and clouded in her memories, she knew the book was one of Aimi's masterpieces and wanted to hear someone praise her favorite author's work; one of the guilty pleasures of a book worm.

He pulls out the light novel from his bag, the one Ruri had seen earlier and flipped to the bookmarked page.

"I read up to chapter 5, the part where the goddess brings the four seasons to life and they're forced to live under the main character's house." Ruri's eyes instantly lightened up as she stepped closer to Raku. She had a vague recollection of the first few chapters but Raku bringing up the events helped her remember the story much clearer.

"It was because the shrine goddess used up most of her powers to personify the seasons that she couldn't reverse their human bodies."

"And if the seasons died as humans, then the seasons would cease to exist." He joined in to continue the story from where she left off.

"So the main character was forced to care for them all under his house."

The back and forth story telling had come to a stop because that was as far as Raku had read in the story. As the two snapped out of their conversation, they realized their faces had come quite close. They got so immersed in talking about the book that they didn't notice they had leaned in closer to each other. Embarrassed by the sudden closeness, the two backed off quickly and looked away. She returned the book back to where it belonged.

"W-Well, that's as far as I've read. Don't spoil it for me, Miyamoto." He gave another nervous chuckle. She admitted that was as far as she could remember the main story, so there was no way she could spoil it, even if she wanted to. "But so far, the story has been amazing. I can't wait to continue reading it." She turned her head a bit to look at him smiling to himself.

That was the first time she ever had a conversation with someone about books. She never had a friend to share her passion in books with, so being able to share her knowledge, to hold a conversation about a book she enjoyed with a friend felt refreshing to her. She never expected that friend to be Raku, but at the same time, perhaps she felt a bit happy it was him.

To wave off the awkward atmosphere, he suggested they both look up more of Aimi's works. Being a fan, she didn't hesitate to agree. In fact, she knew where Aimi's novels were displayed, so she led the way while Raku followed her. Although it was slight, he noticed she was walking a bit faster than usual.

The author's isle was located on the second floor, and finding Aimi's books wasn't hard since the "A" section was the first section of the isle. The closer they got to their favorite author's collection, the more Ruri's eyes glimmered with the same intensity as when she had received her cheesecake. She walked to the end of Aimi's collection, while he stayed close to its beginning, reading titles that may catch his interest. All of a sudden, he heard Ruri calling out his name.

"Ichijō-kun, look. Aimi released a new book." She held up a book in front of her chest towards him to read its title. It reminded him of a child showing its parent a new toy, albeit with a stoic face. He thought it was cute for a while. He walked closer to get a better read of the title.

" _A Genuine_ _Yet Artificial Romance_? Sounds interesting, what's the synopsis?" Ruri brought her face close to the back of the book and read the plot summary.

"Lonely and heartbroken, Ijou Ayumu suffers through the break-up from his 2-year relationship. Due to his cynical outlook on romance, he hasn't returned to the dating scene. One day, after deciding to give it one last try, he suddenly receives an e-mail from an unknown address saying they could give him advice, should he accept. He jokingly accepts, thinking of it as some lame scam. He expected a book guide with advice written by some average guy. Instead, knocking on his door, was a female android. With her advanced AI allowing her to develop human feelings, she was tasked by her creator to help her now-master Ijou find a partner. Nameless, Ijou names her Miyuri as the two explore the difficulties and complexities of romance." As she finished reading the synopsis, it was obvious on both their faces that they were awestruck by the plot.

"Woah, sounds like a really good story! Are you going to buy it?" Hugging the book close to her, she stares at him as if he just asked a stupid question.

"Obviously. You'd be an idiot to pass up on this book." She walks past him towards the cashier, leaving him with the option to follow or be left behind. After all, he guessed that she'd want to get home as soon as possible to read the book.

Raku waited for her outside the store as she waited in line to pay for her adored book. He could see from her tapping foot and the shadow over her eyes that the length and slow speed of the line made her impatient. He laughed to himself as he looked up at the mall's glass ceiling. It had gotten late, close to 7 pm. After Ruri emerged from the store with a bag in hand, Raku suggested that it was time to go home. The mall was closing and it was getting quite dark, so she agreed.

By coincidence, they were headed in the same direction. Their walk home was as quiet as any of their walks together that day. The only difference was the atmosphere of it all. At the beginning of their shopping, the silence made Raku feel uneasy, unwelcomed almost. But that night, it felt reassuring to him. He initially thought her silence was a sign of her dislike or disinterest in him. However, after learning more about her through their interactions at the mall, he came to realize something.

Her stoic face that would stare you down, her monotone words and cold personality: That was Ruri Miyamoto. As much as it made him feel uncomfortable or insignificant at times, that was his friend at her core. There was no ill will behind it all, that was just how she chose to express herself. The silence was no different. She wasn't the talkative type and talked only when needed. Realizing this fact, the quiet walk didn't feel as suffocating as before, it felt honest.

"Miyamoto," Without even turning her head to face him, she responded.

"What?"

"Did you have fun today?"

She looked up at the night sky to recollect the things they did at the mall together. The gift shopping, being treated to cheesecake, and buying Aimi's latest book; she couldn't say the day was unenjoyable.

"You could have treated me to more cake," This shocked him. Was one slice of cheesecake not enough to satisfy the woman in front of him? "But… it wasn't a waste of my day, I guess."

It was quite a roundabout way, as expected of her, but he knew what she meant. He was glad she enjoyed their outing.

"That's good. I had fun today as well." It was a good thing she was ahead of him by a few steps, otherwise, he would have seen the smile that slowly crept its way on her face. It was just a simple shopping trip for their friend, the main goal wasn't to have fun themselves. Yet, they both managed to enjoy their time at the mall together. She didn't understand why, but hearing him say he had fun with her made her happy. With both of their moods brought up, they continued to walk in silence.

Soon, they reached an intersection where they needed to go their own ways. Ruri gave a simple good night before heading off in her direction but was suddenly called back by Raku. She turned around to see him looking for something in his bag.

"Wait, before you go." He jogged a bit to catch up to her as he took something out from his bag. When he showed the item to her, her eyes widened in surprise. It was the floral hair pin they had fancied earlier in the accessories store. Her face reverted back to its usual expression before eyeing him questioningly. Raku was glad he had grown somewhat immune to her glares at this point.

"Why did you buy this?" Without answering, he slowly handed the hairpin to Ruri, which she gently held with both hands.

"Well, I saw that you liked it, and I thought it'd be a waste if you didn't wear it since it did look good on you and all…" Raku's words trailed off near the end. He didn't know why, but he was feeling more self-conscious tonight than earlier in the accessories store. If it wasn't for the night's darkness, Ruri would have probably gotten a glimpse of the small blush forming on his cheeks.

Meanwhile, Ruri simply stared at the gift she received. Often, the gifts she would receive from friends wasn't accessories because they knew she wasn't the type for it. Very rarely would one catch her eye, but she would always reason herself out of buying it. She knew she most likely won't wear it at school, so why own an accessory others wouldn't see? Instead, she dressed plainly, the only accessories she would probably consider necessary are her glasses.

She didn't know how to react. This was the first gift she had ever received that was an accessory. By instinct, she fixed her hair with the hairpin the same way she did back at the store. After all, what else would one use a hair pin for? With the hairpin on, Raku couldn't help but stare and think how beautiful she looked, especially with the moonlight behind him shining in her green eyes that matched the stone's color in the lily.

"If you keep staring, I'll file sexual harassment charges against you." Her cold words brought him out of his thoughts. He wondered how many times today he was caught staring at her. He stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse, but was quickly cut off by Ruri turning back and walking away. "Although it was unnecessary..." She hesitated for a bit before continuing. "I appreciate the gift… I'll be sure to trea – to not lose it easily. Good night, Ichijō-kun."

With both their goodbyes said, the two finally separated, each arriving in their own homes. As expected, Ruri felt tired from all the things that happened that day. As soon as she changed into her pajamas to get ready for sleep, she fell lazily on her bed. Before letting her sleepiness take over, she noticed that she still had her hair pin on. She gently touched it with her fingers, feeling the lilac petals and lapis lazuli in the center.

As she closed her eyes, the scene of Raku saying how well it looked on her flashed through her memory. Maybe it was a fault in her memory since it was probably too dark to tell, but she thought she saw a hint of red somewhere there. She sighed to herself as she slowly let sleep consume her.

 _"Save that sweet talk for Kosaki, not me, idiot."_


	5. Complementary

**Sorry for the long break. I had a bit of a block writing out the plot layout for this arc. I've also been a bit busy with Warframe and other games ;9 But I got the arc plot down, so I expect to be updating every few days now. Thanks for the positive reviews so far, and I hope to get more support from you guys. Glad to see people are enjoying this ship. That's all I really have to say for now. I don't have a pre-chapter question since the arc is just starting. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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After what seemed like endless hours of listening to lectures and doing school work, it was finally 3:00 pm and the final hour of school for the week had come to an end. The day was July 17, just two days after Kosaki's birthday, and Raku and his friends were all excited to go home. The reason for their eagerness wasn't because they wanted to maximize their weekend at home. In fact, quite the opposite, they wanted to maximize their weekend outside. Kosaki and her family (minus her absent father) had wanted to celebrate her birthday at a family friend's resort over the weekend, and she didn't hesitate to invite her friends along. So, with plans to meet up at Kosaki's house after school, everyone didn't waste time rushing home to prepare their overnight necessities and –most importantly – their gift.

It didn't take long for Raku to get dressed and prepare his luggage. Actually, he prepared all those before heading off to school that day. Although it was with his group of friends, the weekend still meant he would get to spend a lot of time with Kosaki. This simple fact hyped him up so much, he got up a tad too early in the morning. After changing into casual clothes, he was off to Kosaki's house.

Kosaki didn't live too far from Raku's house. It was walking distance and only 20 minutes away. Raku didn't want to arrive at his crush's house all sweaty and panting, so he decided to take it at an even pace. He figured most of his friends were still probably getting ready, so there was really no rush for him.

He was walking through his neighborhood with not much to look at, so he tilted his head up to look at the sky. It was clear of the clouds, the sun gave off a radiant shine, and the wind brought a cool breeze to compliment the sun's heat. The path was straight and void of life except him, so there was no harm and danger in him closing his eyes for a bit to absorb his surroundings. As he did, his senses were heightened, and he was able to fully enjoy nature's blessings that day but was quickly brought out of it by someone bumping into him. It wasn't that strong of an impact, but its suddenness would have brought anyone off balance to the ground.

"S-Sorry, I wasn't looking! Are you alright?" Raku opened his eyes to see who he had bumped into, only to be met by a pair of ivy green eyes staring back. "Oh, Miyamoto!"

"Would it kill you to watch where you're going?" Ruri sat on the ground as she adjusted her glasses and picked up the book she was reading. Perhaps it was partially her fault since she, too, wasn't paying attention to her surroundings, but she dismissed that fact over blaming Raku.

"My bad, I closed my eyes there for a bit." He stood up first and offered a helping hand to Ruri. She accepted but kept her scornful gaze on him. Knowing they were both headed towards the same destination, they decided to walk together. Raku couldn't say he was surprised to see Ruri out this soon after school ended. Knowing her, she most likely prepared early in the morning just like him.

The walk was silent as one would expect, and Raku had grown accustomed to it. His discomfort had been replaced with curiosity as he wondered what was keeping her attention so much. It was a light novel, and as he took a peek at the cover, the title read " _A Genuine Yet Artificial Romance_ ". He recognized the novel as the one she bought for herself during their gift shopping for Kosaki. Recently getting into light novels himself, he was curious as to what she thought about it.

"So, how are you enjoying that novel thus far?" Hearing him ask about the novel and her thoughts about it brought her out of the literary zone. Hiding her excitement under the guise of her usual expression, she stops reading the novel to share her criticism. She looks up at the sky to help organize her thoughts.

"The story is progressing at a good pace, but the romance, which is the main focus of the novel, is a bit slow. Perhaps Aimi-san is building up to something later in the story. The characters are generic but well-rounded, so they don't appear on the extreme sides of their personality. I honestly think the male protagonist needs more work. As of now, he just seems like a bit wimp that can't make a move on the female protagonist; ugh, he pisses me off. But besides that, the story has potential to make a comeback for me in the later chapters if the romance picks up the pace soon."

As she finished her long monolog, she takes a peek at Raku to see his reaction. She was surprised to see him staring back with an awe-struck face. "What? Was it too boring for your brain to comprehend?"

"No, I'm just amazed how deep you dug into the novel like that. That was some high-level critique work there."

"Perhaps to you, but that was just a simple analysis that any avid reader would have made." She returned her sights on the page she had bookmarked and started searching for the paragraph she stopped at. Raku took note of this and decided to end the conversation with the last note.

"Well, maybe when I get to that novel sometime then, I'll be able to share my thoughts on it. I've still got to finish ' _Seasons of Romance_ '." Ruri returned her gaze back to him, clearly interested again in continuing.

"How far have you read?" This caught him off-guard. He was certain she had no interest just a few seconds ago. Now, she had an expectant look on her face, as if nudging him to share his experience. He was, of course, happy to oblige.

After a while, the conversation between the two took a natural flow. Its topics changed, but it was always something related to novels, so Ruri's attention never strayed. She admitted to herself that being able to do this felt like taking a weight off her chest. She always kept her passion for books to herself and never got the chance to express it. So with Raku, it was one of those moments where she didn't need to hold back. She thought perhaps this was one of the perks of having a 'book buddy', before waving it off as some stupid term Shū might think of.

They talked as long as they walked to their destination. By the time they had reached the front door of Kosaki's house, which also happened to be her family's sweets shop, they realized just how long they've been talking to each other. The first time the pair had this kind of interaction, it was short and cut off abruptly. This time, however, the talk carried on for almost 10 minutes, so Ruri felt more refreshed than ever.

Raku tried sliding open the door but it was locked. He rang the doorbell, hoping he would get to see Kosaki open it. Instead, he was greeted by an angry woman's voice from inside.

"Hah?! Who's ringing the doorbell at this time? Can't people read the 'Closed for today' sign? Sheesh, and on my daughter's birthday too. I'm gonna have a word with these punks!"

As the shadow behind the door got larger and darker, it was evident that the two visitors were shaken by this aggressive tone. Not even Ruri's face could hide the fear creeping up on her. As the door was unlocked and slowly slid open, a pair of eyes were glaring back with a hostile aura. Ruri thought this must be how Raku felt every time she glared at him

No, not even her glare was this deadly.

"U-Um, good evening, Onodera-san. We're here to celebrate Kosaki's birthday. Right, Miyamoto?" Ruri nodded furiously, hoping to convince her.

"Oh, now I remember. Raku Ichijō, you're the one that helped us out last time." Kosaki's mom, Nanako Kosaki, averted her gaze to his shorter companion. "And Miyamoto? Ruri Miyamoto, then? Kosaki talks about you a lot. You two must be close friends." She spoke in such a welcoming manner, it was almost impossible to imagine the voice behind the door earlier belonging to her. She welcomed the two inside to wait in their living room for the birthday girl. They didn't have to wait long for Kosaki to come downstairs and greet them.

"I-Ichijō-kun, Ruri-chan, I didn't expect you to arrive so early." Her flustered face was always a blessing for Raku to see. With both of them sitting on opposite sides of the living room sofa, Kosaki took the seat in the middle to keep them both company. Being this close to their secret crush, Raku and Kosaki couldn't help but feel happy and embarrassed at the same time. They were both too preoccupied with their own thoughts about their sudden closeness to notice the faces they were making. On the other end of the sofa was Ruri judging the scenario unfolding before her.

 _"Could you make your faces any more obvious? It would certainly make my job easier."_ Acting as Cupid for these two blind lovebirds was no easy task. _"You make romance sound so annoying and difficult."_ She laid back and sighed, exhausted just from looking at them.

After waiting for half an hour, one by one, the living was filled by the rest of their group of friends. Kosaki made sure everyone was present before she declared to her mom that it was time to go. She told everyone else to wait outside while her mom prepares the delivery van. It was a tight pack into the van, but the drive wasn't too long, so they all decided to cope with the discomfort for a bit. This set up caused quite a bit of argument and whining: Marika was very insistent on sitting beside Raku, Chitoge defended her seat beside him, and Tsugumi dared to kill him if he got any closer to her seat, just to name a few.

Kosaki's mom was having none of this and had to resort to her threatening voice to shut them all up. It was surprising – and scary – to know that all it took for them to behave for the entire drive was a sentence filled with light-hearted malice and sharp eyes from the overhead mirror staring back at them. They all agreed, almost telepathically, that she was a force to be reckoned with.

When the drive had finally come to an end, everyone was glad to place their feet back on the soil again. What stood before them was a huge traditional resort. Nanako stood in front of the group and spoke up loud enough for them to hear.

"I'm gonna go greet the owner, Emiya-san, and sign us in. We reserved the whole place to ourselves, so just unpack your stuff in any of the rooms. Remember, this place belongs to a friend, so you all better show your respect and not make me look bad. Got that?" With all of them replying 'Yes ma'am', her face softened into a smile. "Well, have fun, kids. We'll celebrate once we've all unpacked and bathed at the hot springs." Hearing the last part got everyone excited. They all quickly walked into the resort, looking forward to spending the next two days there.

Although there were multiple rooms, they decided it would be most fun if all the girls shared the same room, while the two boys shared theirs. Before Shu could suggest all of them sleeping in the same room for some 'nightly escapades', he was quickly shut down (or beat up) by Ruri and Tsugumi, leaving him with no choice but to agree to the former plan.

The girls marveled at the large room they found and decided that it would be their sleeping quarters. It was large enough to hold more than six people. Meanwhile, the boys got a slightly smaller room since there were only two of them, but it was still big enough to give them a lot of comfortable space. After they had all unpacked and changed into a fresh set of clothes, they gathered in the girl's larger room to catch up, which was just in front of theirs. Before Raku and Shu could even sit with the girls near the table, Marika had stood up and displayed herself in front of Raku.

"Ichijō-sama, what do you think of my clothes? Since I'll be with you for the next two days, I wanted to make sure I wore my best clothes!" She did a small spin to show off the flares of her bright yellow sundress.

"W-Well, it really fits your style, Marika." He gave a sheepish smile. This simple compliment was enough to wash a wave of joy over her as she skipped around the room. Tsugumi got irritated seeing Raku not even compliment his girlfriend.

"Hey, Raku Ichijō, shouldn't the first person you compliment be your girlfriend?" Hearing this made Chitoge panic. She wasn't really expecting a compliment at the time. Sure, she got a bit jealous when Raku admired Marika's dress and was also maybe hoping for him to say the same about her own clothes, but she wasn't bold enough like her to ask for it directly. She peeked at Raku to see his expression, who was slightly blushing this time.

"It's different from what she usually wears, so I guess it looks good on her." This made Chitoge's face redden even more as she gripped her shirt tighter. Tsugumi accepted his statement as decent after seeing the small smile on her mistress' face. Chitoge then replied back, saying that she didn't need the beansprout's comment to know she dressed well. A tsundere at heart.

He wasn't very articulate when it came to critiquing fashion. He struggled to come up with decent compliments, but all that came out of his mouth were generic ones. It was evident on his face that this was putting a lot of pressure on him. Just when Raku thought he was done feeling like the judge of a modeling shoot, another voice spoke up.

"While you're at it, Ichijō-kun, what do you think of Kosaki's? Attractive? Cute? Se-" Her mouth was quickly covered by Kosaki's hands. Her reaction was similar to Chitoge's but more intense.

"R-R-Ruri, what are you saying?! Don't trouble him any more than we need to." She looked down to hide her overly red face, squeezing her eyes shut in hopes what Ruri said was just a hallucination.

"Y-Yeah, it definitely looks c-cute on her." Raku and Kosaki both shared the same shade of red on their faces. She wanted to lightly scold Ruri for what she said, but at the same time, she was also grateful. Ruri could tell from her friend's eyes that she was more happy than embarrassed. It was a small thing, but seeing her friend happy over such a simple gesture also made her happy. Suddenly, the door slid open, revealing Nanako leaning against the frame.

"When you're done being such a playboy, everyone should bring their own towel and any shampoos or soap. You're heading to the showers before entering the hot springs." Without even getting the chance to relax in the room, the two boys were pushed back into their rooms. The girls quickly grabbed their bathing essentials and headed towards the showers. Raku and Shu were taking a bit of time since they seemed to have misplaced their towels somewhere in their room.

While on the way, Kosaki said she forgot her conditioner in her bag. Ruri, who had been walking at the back of the group, volunteered to get it for her. Being at the back meant she was closer to the room, so she reasoned she was the fastest option. Kosaki thanked her before she walked back to the girl's room. She slid the door open to find all their bags neatly lined up against it. As she was searching Kosaki's bag, she overheard the boys on the other side of the hallway talking.

"Ha~, Seishirou-chan had a pretty cute outfit, huh Raku? Especially her skirt! Ah~, you don't see that every day." Shu spoke in an energetic and child-like manner.

"I wonder how you would've ended up if you had said that earlier," Raku said, expressing his concern of his friend's perverted traits. After digging through their pack of clothes, he found one of their towels. He continued his search in another part of the room.

"What about Ruri-chan, you can't be leaving her out like that too, you know~?" Hearing her name caught Ruri's interest. She was not the type to eavesdrop nor care about what the boys thought of her, so she tried to ignore what they were saying and focused more on her task.

"Not you too." He looked back to see his friend's face twisted into a wide mischievous grin. He knew that face wasn't coming off until he was satisfied. With a sigh, he kept looking for the other towel while he gave a response. "She usually dresses plainly, but since today is a special day, I could tell she put a lot of effort into picking her outfit." Just when Shu thought Raku would be finished giving his short critique like he did with everyone else, he continued, to Shu's surprise. "Her short sundress really goes well with her cardigan. Complemented by her ankle-long pants, it's not as flashy as Marika's or Chitoge's, but it still looks nice on her, and I think it fits her style best." As he finished his sentence, he found the other towel. He stood back up and turned to face his friend, who had a curious stare fixated on him but still kept the same smile as always. "Hmm, what?"

"Nothing, I just wasn't expecting you to go into that much detail. Why the sudden favoritism, huh~?"

"I-It's not favoritism, it's just embarrassing to say that much in front of everyone, you know! Anyway, we have the towels. Let's go, I want to relax at the hot springs." With an enthusiastic nod from Shu, the two boys went off to the showers.

Meanwhile, inside the girl's room, Ruri was still sitting on the ground holding the conditioner in her hands. She had heard everything the two said. She stood up, and after making sure the boys were the out of sight, she started making her way back to the showers.

 _"You wimp. If you had said that much for Kosaki… She would have definitely been happier."_

 ** _~!~_**

 ** _Props to Quesadilla1 for pointing out my mix-up of Kosaki (first name) and Onodera(last name). I use the first name when referring to the character outside of dialogue. When in dialogue, I refer to them using the speaker's preference in both the manga/anime. I'll be sure to go over the past chapters to correct the same mistakes if I've made any._**


	6. Nocturne

**Sorry for a small wait-up. Warframe got some new stuff so I just had to try it out ^^; Anyways, onto the pre-chapter talk I love so much. Props to Akane Minori for pointing out Kosaki's birthday. I always seem to mix up July and June. I'll make the appropriate changes to previous chapters. Recently, I found out the dating sim for Nisekoi,** ** _Nisekoi: Yomeiri!?,_** **got the Ruri route a few years back. I was sad to see the lack of gameplay(translated) online. If anyone has a video of the full route, please, for the love of Raku x Ruri, PM me. For this chapter, I wanted to bring the romance up a bit, just to test the waters. Let me know how it turned out. As always, thanks for the support y'all are giving me, and the reviews really do help a lot! That's about it, enjoy the chapter!**

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Hot springs. One of nature's most amazing gifts given to mankind. The hot, soothing bath is impossible to refuse, doing wonders for both the body and the mind. So then, it was no surprise that once the girls had finished washing, they were quick to enter it. One by one, as they each slowly lowered their bodies into the spring, they let out a relaxed and blissful sigh.

"Hah~, nothing beats a hot spring after a school day." Chitoge spoke in a calm voice.

"I agree. Perhaps I should invest in one when Raku and I own a house together in the future." Marika shared her future goal, much to the other girl's chagrin.

"In case you forgot, Raku Ichijō is already dating Young Miss. You should give up on that dream of yours." Tsugumi chimed in to defend Chitoge's 'relationship'.

"You say that, but I've seen the way you look and act around him. I may be wrong, but perhaps you have given up on him too easily. Not that It matters to me; the fewer rivals, the easier." Marika spoke with smugness evident in her voice. This caused quite an uproar between Tsugumi and Marika. As they argued about their feelings towards Raku (in Tsugumi's case, lack of), Kosaki tried to diffuse the situation but failed due to her soft-spoken nature being overruled by everyone else's bickering. All of a sudden, a commanding voice came from the side of the spring.

"Will you girls quiet down? The hot spring isn't the place for you to fight over your petty romance." Nanako was sitting quietly in her own corner until her peace had been interrupted. Knowing of her hot-headed temper, they all agreed and quieted down. It didn't take long for the hot springs to work its magic and calm them down from their heated argument.

" _All is fair in love and war_. It doesn't matter if Raku is already dating Chitoge-chan," She pointed to Tsugumi and Marika. "It's no reason to give up on him," She then shifted her finger to Chitoge. "And it's no reason to think you've already won. In the end, it's up to his decision, and that can change over time. So you have to show who the best choice is for him." As Nanako leaned her body back to indulge herself in the hot springs, the girls were in awe. As a married woman, it was clear she had more experience in love than anyone else in the area. Being no match for her, the girls took her advice to heart and filled them with some determination.

"That goes for you too, Kosaki-chan. Marry him into the family so I can be assured of the family business' future." Her last statement made her daughter blush beet red from embarrassment.

"M-Mom!" Her daughter's cute reaction gave Nanako a sly smile. Meanwhile, from the other side of the hot spring, Ruri was sitting quietly and observing the situation. She was happy to learn that she had an ally.

With the topic of Raku and romance over with, the girls resumed their relaxation. Small talks occurred between them in such a light-hearted and friendly manner – thanks to the hot springs – it was hard to believe they were arguing earlier. After a while, Nanako suggested that it was time to leave the hot springs before any of them passed out.

After drying themselves and changing back to their home clothes, they made their way to the girl's room. They were surprised to see the room decorated with balloons and banners, and a box sitting in the middle of the table. As to who were responsible for the display, the three decorators were still hanging up a few balloons and banners.

"Ah! Welcome back, girls!" Raku greeted them. Shū saluted them, and Emiya gave them a courteous bow to welcome them. Nanako walked towards Emiya and returned the greeting.

"Thanks for setting it up, Emiya-san."

"No problem. These two returned earlier than I expected and volunteered to assist me. A polite pair, they are."

As Shū hung the last banner, Raku announced that the decorations were complete. Happy with the set-up, Nanako declared that the birthday party was ready to begin but not before doing one last thing. Under her countdown, everyone yelled in unison.

"Happy birthday, Kosaki!" Emiya held out a bag containing party poppers. Everyone excitedly grabbed one and released confetti into the air, signaling the start of the party.

"Thank you, everyone!" She couldn't say it with any more happiness and gratitude. With Emiya's help, the entire group took a group photo to commemorate the event. When the photo was revealed, Kosaki couldn't ask for a better one; it was a clear picture of everyone crowded around her, smiling cheerfully. Close to tears, she said she would treasure it forever as she carefully kept it safe in her bag.

The party went by smoothly. The first thing they did was give their birthday gifts to the celebrant. Kosaki received all kinds of gifts, from an adorable, simple wallet to a Japanese sweets-themed apron. Although she was very happy to receive the gifts from her friends, the one she was looking most forward to was Raku's. When it came to Raku's turn, he pulled out the pendant that he had chosen with Ruri's guidance. Kosaki couldn't believe how beautiful it was. It was shaped as a snowflake and was encrusted with shiny, white-blue gems. She didn't hesitate to wear it, much to Raku's delight. Making sure it was clipped right, she looked at him shyly.

"D-Does it fit me?" Being the timid girl, she wasn't very fond of asking for compliments. She took them if they came, but rarely would she ask for it. But just this once, she wanted to know what her crush thought of her appearance. Raku couldn't help but blush at the way she was acting, it was simply too much for him to take. He stutters with his response while looking away to hide his love-struck expression.

"Y-Yeah, you look really beautiful with it." This made both of them want to die of embarrassment and happiness. Kosaki was too flustered at that point, she couldn't say anything else but a sincere and quiet thanks. The two stood still in their spots, too caught up in the moment to realize how long they were idling. They were both brought out of it by Nanako yelling that it was time to serve the birthday cake.

As Nanako lifted the box's cover, a round strawberry cheesecake was found inside. Its creamy surface looked so clean and smooth, and the strawberry swirls so masterfully drawn on the top to spell out ' _Happy Birthday, Kosaki~!_ ' The group believed the cake must have been ordered from some high-quality pastry shop. However, they were surprised to hear from Nanako that she secretly made it at their home and hid the cake at the back of the van. After hearing enough of their praises, she grabbed hold of the serving knife and sliced the cheesecake into ten pieces.

Once everyone had their slice of cake, the teenagers stood around and talked amongst themselves. Chitoge, Marika, Haru, and Onodera were grouped up together, talking about what they should do tomorrow. Tsugumi stood by herself, close enough to the girls to hear what they were saying but had no plan to join; she was curious about what girls talk about, but she never knew how to join one. The two males, Raku and Shū, sat together against the wall, watching everyone get along. While the two were peacefully enjoying the cake, Shū's eyes scanned the room.

As his eyes slowly laid rest on Ruri, he noticed that she was making cute expressions, which he could tell she was trying to suppress. Shū had sharp eyes and a strong sense of social awareness to read the facial cues and expressions of other people. Out of the group of friends, he believed only he and Ruri shared this trait. This interested him, so he shared his thoughts about it to his best friend, even though he didn't expect Raku to pick up on her micro-expressions.

"Ruri-chan's making a cute face, isn't she? She's really enjoying that cake, huh Raku?" Shū nudged Raku with his shoulder to gain his attention towards the female. It took him a few seconds but Raku could tell from past experience that she was, indeed, trying to hide her eating pleasure. He was surprised she was able to hide it better than when it was just them two. He guessed it must be because there were more people to see it.

"Yeah, you can tell she has trouble hiding it, especially from her eyes." This caught Shū off-guard. Her eyes? Shū noticed her feeble attempt from the slight twitches from the corner of her mouth, but not her eyes. He had to take another look, and sure enough, Raku was right. Ruri's pupils were dilated and her eyes were slightly wider, barely noticeable unless focused on. Raku took a bite of his cheesecake before continuing. "She has a strong sweet tooth. Heh, who knew?" His friend suddenly went quiet, which made him curious. He turned his head to see Shū with his signature grin.

"Raku~, when did you pay so much attention to Ruri-chan? Was what you said earlier about your favoritism a lie? "

"It's not like that. We went to the mall a few days back to look for our gift. That was the first time we hung out, so of course, I'd learn a thing or two about her." This didn't convince Shū one bit. He kept trying to make Raku spill more details about the 'date', as Shū called it. Raku insisted it wasn't a date and not much happened. All he was willing to reveal was what they bought: They bought their gifts, and Ruri bought a book. He wasn't going to say he treated her to a cheesecake or bought her a hairpin; that would've raised his suspicion even more than it already was. Shū was expecting juicier details, but he was satisfied with Raku's answer. It at least gave him some context. They resumed enjoying their cake and observing the party, eventually joining the girls in their conversations.

As the party slowly came to an end, Nanako said it was getting late and that they should start heading to bed soon. After cleaning up, the girls prepared their futons in the room, while Nanako walked off to her own sleeping quarters. The boys gave their goodnights and walked back to their room across the girls'. Soon enough, as the private night talks quieted down, everyone had gone to sleep, and the night went silent.

In the middle of the night, Raku awoke from his sleep. There was no special reason for it, it was just one of those nights when your body would decide to wake up out of nowhere before resuming its rest. He looked around the dark room waiting for sleepiness to take over, but it was taking longer than he expected. He thought perhaps taking a short walk outside would help clear his mind and put him at ease. He slowly raised himself off his futon, making sure not to wake Shū, and made his way to the garden.

When he made his way out, the first thing he noticed was the night sky. It was perfectly pitch black and sprinkled with stars. It was a view he wouldn't be able to see back in the city. The second thing he noticed was a dim light emanating from the garden gazebo, which showed the figure of a petite person. Curious, he walked closer to see who the person was. When he was close enough to get a clear look, he was surprised to see who it was.

"Miyamoto? What are you doing up so late" She checked her watch for the time.

"Don't you mean 'up so early'? It's 1:30 am right now." She replied in a matter-of-factly tone. Raku just sweat-dropped at this. He wasn't expecting sass from her this early in the day. "And I'm just reading. I couldn't fall back asleep, so I thought doing something might help."

"You and me both." He motions to the seat beside her. She nods, giving him permission to sit. "I thought taking a walk would help me." He leans back on the bench relaxing his body and closing his eyes. The cool feeling of the night felt amazing against his skin. He was sort of glad he woke up when he did. While he was enjoying the night breeze, he felt his arm warm up. He opened his eyes to see Ruri leaning her back against him, her legs extended on top of the bench. "M-Miyamoto!" He felt his body tense up.

"Stay still. This feels better than sitting up straight." So that was what he was: a glorified back support. Why did he feel so disappointed by it? He shook that thought out of his head, only to get told to stay still again. He didn't mind, she was light. Surprisingly light, so it didn't bother him. He had peeked over her head and took a look at the book's contents. He recognized the writing style as Ruri Aimi's, so he took a guess that it was the book she recently bought at the mall. Aimi was well-known for the romance novels she wrote, so it gave him a topic to talk about with Ruri.

"Miyamoto, do you like romance novels?" Without looking at him, she turned a page and responded.

"Mhm, I think they're more interesting to read than other genres. How people react in romantic situations, how coincidences play into them, and how relationships remain or change; they all make for an unpredictable story."

"Heh~? I never took you as the romantic type."

"Liking romance novels doesn't make one a romantic. Have you ever seen me act like one?"

"Well, no." Proving her point, she went back to focusing on her book. Raku looked up at the sky to sort his thoughts out. "But when you do fall in love, it'd be interesting to see how you'd act."

"You add 'when' as if I will. I doubt there'd be an unlucky idiot out there who would fall for me, anyways." She found it hard to believe any sane person would fall in love with such a cold, plain girl like her. It was so laughable to her, she thought it could even be the main plot to a rom-com.

"Ha-ha, well I wouldn't say unlucky." This caught Ruri's ears for some reason. She looked at him questioningly, and he knew what she meant with that glare of hers. "I'm sure there's someone out there that'd consider himself lucky to fall for you. Like you said, romance can be unpredictable." He said it all with an honest smile, showing that he truly meant what he said.

Ruri turned her head to face away from Raku. She went silent and pretended to read her book. Raku thought she just wanted to resume her reading, but actually, she wanted to hide her face from him since she could feel her face heating up from his comment, and she wasn't going to risk him seeing her blush. She dismissed what he said as idiotic nonsense, but she couldn't stop repeating his words in her head. She tried to focus on the words in her book instead, but she couldn't concentrate on them, and Raku's repeating words had a 'counting sheep' effect on her.

 _"As if I'd… believe your baseless… praises…"_ She got sleepier as she tried to think of a retort to say to him. Perhaps she stayed up a bit longer than she intended to because she fell asleep easily. Raku's arm acted as a cushion for her head.

Ruri's unconscious body dropped her book to the ground. When he turned to see why Ruri didn't bother picking it up, he was shocked to see her sleeping form. He was panicking on what he should do. He considered waking her up but decided against it since she must've been really sleepy to fall asleep in such a situation, and it would seem rude for him to do so. Carrying her back to the girl's room would be too risky, and he didn't even want to think of the repercussions if he was caught. With no options left, the best he could do was remain still and wake her up early in the morning to avoid any assumptions.

His plan was easier said than done. The warmth of Ruri's body against one side of his body and the cool night wind against the other made for a sensation more comfortable that his own futon. He felt himself getting sleepy so he jolted himself awake. His slight jolt made Ruri grunt. Not even trying to keep himself awake was a viable action at that point. His sleepiness came a second time, and he knew he couldn't do anything about it. His head started to feel heavier, his body felt weak, and his eyelids closed slowly.

 _"What did I… get myself into?"_ He took one last look at Ruri. He wanted to blame his sleepiness for thinking she looked cute for a moment. _"Good ni- morning, right Miyamoto?"_ He weakly smiled at her. With that small correction, his mind wandered off to a deep sleep. His head laid softly on Ruri's, while she laid her head on his arm. Their position looked more comfortable than any futon could hope to be.


	7. Dreams

**Oh man, I had one huge writing block for this chapter. I even had to stay in the library for a few hours just to write a few paragraphs. But here it is, the seventh chapter! I hope the wait wasn't unbearable ^^; Just a heads up, I will be starting my summer work next week, so updates will come less frequently now; perhaps once every two weeks, or every week if I'm lucky. But I'll still try my best to keep you all entertained. As for the story, what do you guys think of the development of Raku and Ruri's relationship? Is it going too fast, too slow, or is it progressing at a good pace? Some people have told me it's slow and subtle, so I tried to pick up the pace a bit. For now, enjoy!**

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The slow rising sun shone its rays on the two sleeping figures inside the gazebo. The increasing brightness and temperature had woken Ruri up from her sleep. Sleepily, she opened her eyes to see the sun, the only source of light, just beginning to rise from the horizon. The last thing she remembered was reading her novel in the garden. From what she knew, Ruri guessed she must have accidentally fallen asleep while reading outside. She had to admit that she slept really well last night. She didn't know why it felt more comfortable than a futon, but she didn't complain.

She tried to get up from the bench, but a weight on her head was making it difficult. She looked up to see Raku sleeping peacefully with his head laid on top her. What surprised her, even more, was that she was leaning on him. She wondered if she had slept in that embarrassing position all night. She slowly raised his head off of her and rested it on the wall of the gazebo, making sure to not wake him up. After freeing herself, she stood up to observe Raku and the possibilities of last night.

 _"How did things turn out like this?"_ She thought hard to last night. It was vague, but she could remember Raku happening to stumble upon her reading time. He sat beside her as she used him as a comfier back support. Everything after that was a blur to her – even the things he had said. She saw that there was no use musing over it all. It was still quite early, and everyone was asleep, so it was best if they both went back inside the resort and act as if it never happened.

She stood in front of Raku and leveled her head with his. She tried to wipe the redness off her face. She still couldn't believe they fell asleep together like that, and just the thought of getting caught didn't help with the color of her cheeks. After clearing her thoughts and making sure her blush had receded, she spoke to the sleeping boy in front of her.

"Ichijō-kun."

No response. He was deep in his sleep. She repeated herself somewhat louder. This at least got a small response from him, however, he was just sleep-talking.

"Pro…mise…" Ruri thought he was going to wake up, only to be let down. She never liked repeating herself, so her next attempt was more physical. Once more, she called out to him while poking his face. That was enough to wake him up partially as his eyes slowly fluttered open, but Ruri could tell he was still in a dream-like state. Suddenly, his hands rose and cupped Ruri's face. "Marry… you…"

Ruri couldn't understand why she got flustered by his words. She knew it wasn't intended towards her but hearing him say it to her made her heart skip a beat. Was it embarrassment? Disappointment? Joy? Or just pure surprise? Whatever her reason, she wasn't going to show him that she reacted to such a trivial thing. She wore a scowl on her face as she slapped away his hand, effectively waking him up fully. He wasn't expecting the first thing he saw that day to be Ruri's angry face.

"M-Miyamoto? Did I do something wrong?" He asked in a terrified voice.

"No, you just said something about a promise and marrying m – someone." Ruri corrected herself. She left out the part where he gently held her cheek. It was too embarrassing for her to even recollect. "A dream, maybe?"

"Ah, well, more of a memory than a dream. I made a promise to a girl when I was younger that I'd marry her when we meet again... I guess I still want to fulfill that promise." He had a reminiscent look on his face, almost sad even. Ruri thought about what he had just said. She wondered if that was the reason he'd been holding back in confessing to Onodera. Before she could ask, Raku had cut her off. "Oh, right! Miyamoto!"

"W-What?" His sudden change in mood caught her off guard.

"Let's get back inside before the others wake up and see us." Indeed, people would ask questions if they saw the two up so early inside the garden gazebo. They both agreed to never speak of last night ever. As Ruri tried to make her way back to the girl's room, Raku called out to her. She turned to see him holding her novel, which she had dropped on the ground. "You forgot this, sleepy-head." He gave a smug grin. She wished she had the nerve in the morning to wipe that look off his face, but there were more important matters at hand.

Walking back inside, they were greeted with the smell of breakfast being cooked. Curious, they followed the scent towards the kitchen, where they saw Emiya preparing breakfast.

"Good morning, Emiya-san." The two said in unison. Emiya was surprised to see them awake so early but gave them a warm, welcoming smile.

"Oh, good morning! Breakfast will be ready in a few hours, so why don't you wait somewhere." Raku offered to assist her in cooking, feeling as though he couldn't just let her cook for all ten people. Ruri then felt obliged to do the same since she was already there. She wasn't a total stranger to the kitchen, having to help her mother with meals sometimes, but she wasn't experienced like Raku. Nevertheless, Emiya gladly accepted both their offers.

Ruri was charged with the basic work: washing and drying the dishes, cooking rice, and cutting the vegetables and fruits. Emiya and Raku handled the cooking of the main dishes. With three people in the kitchen, breakfast was readied earlier than planned. After preparing the table with plates and food, the three stood satisfied with their hard work. Emiya thanked them as she started walking towards the rooms to call everyone, but stopped before leaving the dining room.

"Oh, and just for future reference," Raku and Ruri turned to look at her. She faced the two with her usual kind, but now somewhat smug smile. "Please close the lights in the gazebo before you go to sleep. Saving energy is important, no?" She then disappeared behind the doorway as she whistled to herself. Raku and Ruri simply stood in place with downcast eyes, shadows covering them.

"You should've woken me up, Ichijō-kun…"

"Trying to put the blame on me, Miss 'Let me sleep on your ar' –!" He was cut off with an elbow to the side of his rib cage; a grave reminder of their agreement. When they heard several footsteps approaching, they composed themselves to greet everyone.

Everyone shared their morning greetings before starting breakfast. Since everyone had just woken up, they were not very talkative, so breakfast was spent with little to no talking. The girls, however, brought up their plans for the day, which they made yesterday during the party. They did research last night and found a local mall nearby, as well as some landmarks they could visit. Everyone agreed, thinking it would be a good idea to go sight-seeing around the area.

With breakfast finished and the table cleared, the group found themselves with time to spare before the door malls opened. The girls wanted to help each other pick out what clothes to wear for their outing, while Shu invited Raku to read some of the mangas he brought. The two groups returned to their rooms to pass the time.

Inside the girl's room, a small fashion show was in session. Each of the girls, save for Ruri, laid their clothes and accessories out for the girls to pick and critique. One by one, they showed their outfit the others chose for them. Marika and Chitoge wore flamboyant clothes, while Kosaki, Haru, and surprisingly, Tsugumi wore simple, cute, feminine ones. Happy with their attire, they turned to the last girl in the room who still hadn't changed. Ruri initially declined them, stating she could pick her own clothes by herself, but Kosaki insisted that she wanted to dress her dear friend up. Ruri saw how much fun Kosaki had doing it for others, so she found it hard to refuse her. She always did have a soft spot for Kosaki.

Defeated, Ruri laid out her only accessory, which was her hairpin Raku bought for her, and clothes, which was comprised of jeans, ankle-length cargo pants, a cardigan, and a few colored shirts; plain clothes, as she would describe them. The girls collectively mused over which ones would work well together, which ones wouldn't, and which colors would fit her. It took many trial-and-errors, but they finally found the outfit for her. They felt proud of their work as they pulled Ruri in front of the full-body mirror in the room. Even Ruri was surprised by how she looked. The girls were able to take her plain clothes and combine them into an attractive getup for her.

The girls still felt like she was missing something. After a few moments, they realized that she was missing an accessory to complete everything. As they laid their eyes on her hairpin, they were amazed by not only how beautiful it looked, but how well it matched Ruri. When they asked her where Ruri got it, she couldn't tell them Raku bought it for her or it would cause misunderstandings in her group. Instead, she lied and said her mom bought it for her a few days ago when she went gift shopping. She was relieved when they believed her.

With the girls ready for the mall and with time still left to spare, they spent the rest of their time in the room talking about various things, from what they were expecting from the mall to how much they were willing to splurge on themselves, none of which interested Ruri. Grabbing her beloved novel from her bag, she excused herself from the room, planning to read it in the gazebo again.

She always enjoyed reading outside. The sun always made the best reading light for her, better than the artificial ones indoor. Standing on the porch, she could see and feel that the weather was great that day. Everything from the sky to the ground looked perfect for reading. She even considered lying down on the seemingly soft grass. It would have certainly felt better than the stiff bench of the gazebo. Standing in a well-lit spot on the ground, she prepared herself to lie stomach-down on the warm grass until she was stopped by a hand grabbing hold of her arm.

"What are you doing now, Miyamoto?" Raku asked with a confused look on his face.

"What does it look like? I'm going to read my novel." She said matter-of-factly. He sighed at her response as he pulled her back up gently. She stared back at him with her usual blank expression, expecting his reason for stopping her.

"And get your clothes all dirty?"

"Your business with it being?" Raku was about to give up, knowing that she wasn't planning on changing her mind. He took one glance at the grass and he could understand why she would be so tempted to lie down on it. He swiftly took off his slightly oversized jacket and laid it on the ground, much to Ruri's confusion.

"Look, I just don't want your clothes getting dirty. You can even lie down on my jacket if you want." He crossed his arms to look stern about his offer. Ruri couldn't understand his actions. Sure, it was normal for a friend to worry about their friend's clothes getting dirty, but to go as far as to sacrifice their own clothes to do so? It was the chivalry she had long thought to have died in that day and age.

"Won't your jacket get dirty then?" He pointed back to the resort, stating he brought another one with him. Ruri took his offer and kneeled down on the jacket as she slowly lowered the rest of her body on top. It was soft and warm, which she thought was a decent replacement for the grass she longed for earlier. Pleased with her reading environment, she placed the book on the grass and started reading. With that, Raku started walking back inside to prepare his clothes but stopped a few steps ahead to turn back at Ruri.

"Also," Ruri looked up from her book to see what he was going to say. "Glad to see you're wearing that hairpin. I knew you'd like it." He gave a wide grin, the one that always seemed to warm her up. Warmed? She wondered when she started feeling the warmth. She placed her fingers on it softly, reminding her the shape and feel of it. Truthfully, she liked the hairpin, but she wasn't going to let that simple fact get to the boy's head.

"The girls forced me to wear it when they picked out this outfit for me." Raku took one long look at here attire. Before she could come up with a threat to make him look away like she usually did, he had beaten her to the punchline.

"Guess that explains why your outfit's cuter than usual." She responded with a ' _Hmph'_ to show her indifference to his compliment. It looked like she had grown an immunity to his compliments, so she didn't blush... too much, at least. She looked back down at her novel to continue reading. Not wanting to disturb her any further, he decided to leave her to her own enjoyment as he continued his way back to his room. With him gone, she could finally focus on reading.

A few minutes later, she had reached the end of a chapter. Seeing it as a good stopping point, she closed her novel and placed it aside. She looked at her watch to see that the group still had time before the mall opened. With not much to do, she laid face up on the jacket, bored to death. But the feeling of boredom was quickly washed away by the warmth of the sun. She closed her eyes to bask in its comfort. She leaned on her side to get into a more comfortable position and to prevent too much light from reaching her eyes.

Slowly, as her body became more relaxed, she grew more conscious of the jacket she laid on, especially its distinct scent. It surrounded her gently as she fell into her own orange world. It was a comforting scent, and it somehow made her feel safe and at ease, to the point that it brought her to the verge of sleep. She figured she had some time to take a light nap at least. As she descended into a sleepier state, she made one obvious realization.

 _"Ah… this is Ichijō-kun's scent… isn't it…? why is it so…?"_ She fell asleep before she could even finish her thoughts.

Back inside the resort, Nanako was notifying everyone that the mall had opened and it was time to leave. As the boys and girl readied up and met in the hallway, Kosaki asked where Ruri had gone off to. The girls had no idea, saying all they knew was that she went outside to read her book. Before Kosaki could worry any further about her friend going missing, Raku volunteered to go fetch her since he was the only one who knew where she was. He told everyone to go ahead to the resort entrance and he'll meet them there with Ruri. Worried for their friend, but trusting of Raku, the group placed their faith in him as they made their way to the entrance.

Meanwhile, Ruri was dreaming peacefully. She dreamt of a time when she was just a child and she was having a conversation with her mom. In her dream, she sat on the ground while her mother sat on a chair in front of her.

 _"Mama, why did you marry papa?"_ The younger Ruri asked naively. She didn't ask this to offend her father. She loved her father very much, but she was just a curious girl looking for answers.

 _"Why do you ask?"_

 _"He's clumsy, doting, and dense. He doesn't seem like a prince charming at all!"_ Her mother laughed from her daughter comparing her father to a prince charming. Indeed, even she would agree he was far from an ideal one. She stood from her chair and kneeled in level to Ruri.

 _"He might not be your prince, but he is mine."_ It was a simple explanation to a child, so Ruri understood what her mom meant by this. Her understanding was evident on her face, which was not always as blank as it was now. Her mom smiled, glad that her child was bright enough to get what she said.

 _"Do you think I'll find mine someday?"_

 _"Of course. One day, you'll open your eyes to find a boy. At that moment, you'll know he's the one."_

 _"How are you so sure, mama?"_ Her mother gave another warm chuckle, as she leaned her chin on her fingers as if to be in deep thought.

 _"Well… That's how I met your papa."_ Ruri gave a huge smile when she heard her mother's story. As a child, she believed everything her mother taught her, so hearing her mother reassure her that she will find her prince someday brought the young girl so much hope and joy.

As the scene slowly faded into darkness, slowly being swallowed into an abyss, Ruri woke up from her nap. Rolling on her back, she saw that the sun was being blocked by a figure. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the brightness, the features on the silhouette steadily becoming clearer: dark hair, a white x-shaped hair pin, and large blue eyes.

"Miyamoto? You awake now? Sorry to interrupt your nap, but everyone's waiting for us at the entrance." Their words filled Ruri's ears. She had awoken enough to comprehend what they meant. She pushed herself up with her elbow and blindly searched for her glasses, which had fallen off in the midst of her sleep. With the help of her spectacles, her vision cleared enough for her to recognize the person: Raku Ichijō. Raku stood up and extended his arm to Ruri to help her up, reminding her of their trip to the mall. She slowly raised her arm and grabbed hold of his hand as she was pulled up from the ground. However, suddenly standing up from her position, as well as still being somewhat dazed, she quickly lost her balance and nearly fell back down to the ground, only to be caught in Raku's arms. "Ha-ha, guess you're still sleepy, huh?" She was being supported with an embrace from Raku, much to her embarrassment. As soon as she regained her sense of balance, she weakly pushed herself off him.

"I can stand up on my own just fine." She gave him a blank stare before slowly walking to the entrance. Raku followed right behind her, occupied with his own thoughts. His mind flashed back to her sleeping figure, which showed her sleeping peacefully with a smile, more expressive than any he's ever seen before from her.

 _"Must've been a good dream, huh Miyamoto? I wonder what you were dreaming about."_ His curiosity was piqued when she mumbled something about a prince charming in her sleep. He never took her as the type to dream about fairy tails, but he guessed that the contrasts in his expectations were what made him more interested in her each time.

 **~!~**

 **I kept updating this chapter because I felt like it's a bit "off". Maybe it's Ruri's dream sequence at the end that's throwing me off. That part was a "spur of the moment" type of writing. I even have a vague idea on how to use that sequence as a plot device for future arcs, but if you guys think that it doesn't fit well with the story or her character, please tell me so I can give it more thought and change it to something more appealing. For now, I'm keeping it as is because I already have plans for it. Thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it! ^^**


	8. Realization

**Here it is, the chapter that I've been waiting for! Oh man, this was like a huge weight lifted off my chest. I'm gonna leave the pre-chapter question at the end since I want to get you guy's opinions at the high of the story. I have to leave the house by 5 AM for my job orientation today, and I stayed up until 1:45 AM to finish this chapter. Yeah, my priorities are skewed... But since this is my last chapter before work screws up my writing time, I went all out for you guys! So without further ado, enjoy this chapter as much as I did!**

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When the group arrived at the parking lot of the mall, they were surprised by how much bigger it looked compared to the pictures. Though it wasn't as big as Bonyari Mall, it was still quite massive with various stores. Before entering, Nanako set a meetup time: 2:30 PM at the mall entrance and the teenagers knew better than to disobey it. Nanako went her own separate way to enjoy her time, while the gang stayed together.

Raku expected to spend his peaceful time in the mall. He planned on checking out any manga stores with Shu to see what they can buy for the rest of their stay, and maybe read _'Seasons of Romance'_ during his spare time, preferably in a library. His plans got delayed, however, as the love-stricken girls started dragging him around the stores.

From clothing to accessory stores, and even pet stores, the girls were much more aggressive than usual when it came to contending for Raku's attention. Chitoge and Marika seemed more straightforward, Onodera – along with her sister and Ruri's support – was more outspoken, and Tsugumi was acting more effeminate; perhaps it was Nanako's words of wisdom shared at the hot springs yesterday that brought this change. But despite their efforts, Raku remained oblivious to their advances, shrugging them off as simply their excitement. Although it was tiring, he was glad to see the girls enjoying their time. Between the passive competitions and blushing from his praises, the girls were nevertheless having fun altogether.

After a few more hours and stores, Raku was finally able to convince the girls to let him enjoy what time he had left for himself. The girls didn't want to take up his entire time for their own, and they already had their fair share of fun with him so they allowed him. He invited Shu, who had been tagging along with the ride for his entertainment, to join him. As the two separated from the group, Ruri also decided to go her own way. She only stayed with the group to support her timid friend, Onodera. With Raku gone, her job was considered done as she walked to the nearest directory.

Using maps and directories, Shu and Raku were able to find a manga store. It was small, but they kept their hopes up for a manga worth reading. Upon entering, they were greeted by an old, cheerful man. Though most of the mangas they found there were old, there were a few new ones that caught their eye. Since the mangas were quite cheap as well, they thought it was worth buying.

They thanked the owner as they left the store with a small bag of mangas. Raku then suggested that they visit the bookstore next. After teasing his friend of secretly being a book-worm, Shu said he had to use the washroom first. Finding the nearest washroom, Raku waited outside against the wall. While looking around for shops that might catch his interest, he spotted two people cornering a person against a wall. Being cautious of the situation, he took a closer look. When he saw the cornered person as his friend, Ruri, he quickly ran over to her.

"You seem new to this place. You want us to show you around? We know a few good places to have some fun." One of the men spoke. He was taller than Ruri and definitely stronger. As he tried to grab her wrist, she swatted his hand away. This ticked him off and his anger was evident on his face. His face scared Ruri but she wasn't going to show that. She tried to act strongly in hopes she could make them give up and leave.

"A-As if I'd go anywhere with you scum." Her slight stutter gave away her away as the two men smiled more menacingly. Even her body was starting to give way; her legs were trembling lightly. She tried to walk away but was blocked by the other guy's arm pushed against the wall.

"Listen, missy. If you just obey us, we'll promise we'll let you off easier." As he leaned his face closer to hers, tears were close to welling up in her eyes. She begged for anyone, _someone_ , to come save her. She closed her eyes to brace for what he would do next, knowing she was powerless to fight back. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice call out her name.

"Miyamoto!" She opened her eyes to see Raku running towards them.

"I-Ichijo-kun…!" When he got close enough, Raku slapped the man's arms up off the wall and pushed him towards the other. He pulled Ruri closer to him while the men tried to recover. Ruri noticed two things about Raku: His grip on her hand was tight and secure, and his face was the angriest she had ever seen him make. He looked even angrier than the man did when Ruri slapped his arm away but the reasons behind that expression of his made her feel safer. After recovering, the two men started walking up to Raku.

"Hey, don't just go butting into people's businesses. What are you, her boyfriend?" The man said with a smug grin, which pissed Raku off even more. The fist on his other hand got tighter as his glare on them got more intense. Thanks to his Yakuza blood, his glare carried a huge feeling of killing intent, even if he didn't have any. The men could feel the intent and slowed their steps to a stop. They realized they might be facing someone dangerous.

"… And what if I am…?" This made Ruri look up at him, shocked at what he just said. "Would that mean I get to beat the crap out of you guys?" He took one step forward, which made the now-frightened men take a step back. Not wanting to escalate things any further for their own sake, they walked away.

"W-Whatever, she ain't much to look at anyways!" They picked up the pace and left the mall.

With the two gone from his sight, his face relaxed back to normal face with a sigh. He turned back to look at Ruri and asked her if she was alright. When she nodded, he smiled at her, relieved to know. Once again, that feeling of warmth whenever he gave her that smile soothed her heart. It wasn't just surprise or embarrassment, it was something much more than she could fathom. Why does it only happen around Raku?

"Eh~?!" Raku and Ruri turned around to see their friend, Shu, with his teasing cat-like smile. "Raku-Raku, when did _this_ type of relationship start?" He said, pointing down at the pair's hands connected. Realizing how long they'd been holding hands, the two quickly whipped their hands away from each other and faced the other way to hide their embarrassment. Raku explained the entire situation to his friend. "Hmm, I see then." Shu looked at Ruri to see her clutching the hand Raku held close to her chest. Something was off with how she was acting but he couldn't put his finger on it. Her face was blank as usual, but her body was telling a different story. "Well, anyways, how's about that bookstore you we're looking for?"

"Oh, yeah, let's go. I'm sure there's a directory here somewhere." Raku turned to Ruri, knowing of her interests. "Miyamoto, want to come along?"

"Fine." That was all she said before walking alongside Raku. She made it sound like they made her join them. Actually, she got lost looking for the bookstore earlier so going with them was her best option. Eventually, they found a mall guide, so Raku told them to wait while he asked them for directions. This left Shu and Ruri alone together with a gap between them. With the awkward, silent atmosphere, Shu tried to lighten it up with some small talk.

"Hey, Ruri, that hairpin looks cute on you~. Where'd you buy it?" Without looking at him, she gave him the same lie she gave the girls to avoid misunderstandings. Normally, he'd believe her and take the story as it is but this time, something didn't line up. Raku's story was that he went gift shopping with Ruri and did nothing more than buy gifts, whereas Ruri's was that she went gift shopping with her mom, all within the same time period. "Interesting~." He said with a sly smile. Too many coincidences lined up for him.

Raku returned with a map pamphlet and directions to the nearest bookstore. It didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination. The bookstore was of a modest size, certainly smaller than the one in Bonyari Mall.

"Oh, Miyamoto, I found the light novels section." Ruri's eyes glistened upon hearing this. Ruri followed him while Shu just stood in surprise. He wondered when the two of them ever get that close. Now his interest was piqued. The three of them wandered through the light novel section, reading titles and synopses. While Raku was inspecting one, Ruri called out to him and recommended the light novel in her hand. When he read its synopsis, he was instantly hooked. He held onto it until they left the store to buy it.

"Can't wait to read this once I finish _'Seasons of Romance'_."

"You still haven't finished it?" She asked with a disappointed straight face. Raku admitted he was a slow reader but he did make some progress with the story. When Ruri asked him how the story was so far, they blew into another analytic conversation about the book. While watching the two converse, Shu could see Ruri enjoying the whole discussion. That was already a rare sight, to see that look on her face, but seeing her have it with Raku was never seen before.

"Oh, Shu, did you find anything good back there?" Raku asked his friend.

"Nah, I'm not into the whole light novel scene like you two. Manga's where it's at for me!" He said while shooting a thumbs-up. Shu looked at his watch and panicked. "Hey! It's 2:15 now!" Everyone knew what that meant. Raku whipped out his mall map and looked for the fastest route to the entrance. With him leading the way, Shu and Ruri followed right behind him. The adrenaline – or fear of Nanako's scolding – kept them moving.

With 3 minutes to spare, they arrived at the entrance. Waiting for them was Nanako leaning against the wall and the other girls. When Chitoge noticed how exhausted Raku was, she walked up to him to offer him a bottle of water and a napkin to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

"Sheesh, darling. Where've you been? Here, rest up a bit."

"T-Thank you, honey." He accepted her offer and refreshed himself. Ruri got annoyed watching the whole _lover's_ scene. She knew long ago that their entire relationship was just an act, and that was what angered her the most. He was oblivious to Kosaki's feelings towards him, so he doesn't know how much it bothered her heart to see them act like lovers, to call each other by those nicknames.

Ruri knew Raku was dense, but he wasn't the kind of person to date someone he didn't have feelings for. She guessed he must have gotten involved in a situation where he had to be in a relationship with Chitoge, whether he liked it or not. Since it wasn't her place to expose them – they must have a reason, after all –, she decided to go along with their act. If their act was meant to stay public, then the second best thing to happen for Kosaki and Raku was to at least know their love was mutual. That was her objective.

Back on the road, the group bought lunch from a drive-through and made their way to a few landmarks and hotspots. It was no surprise that since the girls picked the locations, some of them would have legends about romantic success. From sitting under a specific tree to sitting on the same rock, Raku was dragged into apparently love-charmed scenarios with the girls, all hoping for their feelings to be returned by the dense boy. The only exceptions were Haru and Ruri, who were both cheering for the same person.

It was close to night time when they arrived back to the resort. They were delighted to see dinner was prepared for them by Emiya. Over dinner, they all had something to talk about from their trip. They shared the things they bought and the pictures they took. When dinner was over, everyone retired back to their sleeping quarters. Being up on their feet all day had tired them out, so it was easy for them to fall asleep due to exhaustion.

In the middle of the night, Ruri woke up from her sleep again just like last night. Knowing that she won't be falling back asleep anytime soon, she snuck into her bag, grabbed her novel and snuck out the sliding door to head for the garden. Looking at the garden at night was such a calming sight. The moonlight that reflected on the grass dew made the ground sparkle like the clear night sky. The light sway of the grass and trees from the night wind added life to the scene. She knew tonight was going to be a good reading session for her.

She turned on the gazebo light and started her nightly reading. Soon afterward, she started feeling a bit unsettled. The bench felt too stiff for her liking. She thought back to last night when she used Raku's arm as a pillow. It made reading for her much more comfortable. She wished she could experience the soft, warm sensation again before blushing madly at the thought. Did she seriously want to lean against him? She reasoned it away as a simple convenience for her and nothing more, but her blush remained. Amidst the sounds of the night, she could hear footsteps on the grass approaching her. Could it be?

"Ichijo-kun?" She said somewhat excitedly. She turned her head expecting him, only to be greeted by the resort owner, Emiya.

"Heh~, sorry to let you down." She said with an apologetic yet teasing look on her face. Ruri couldn't help but blush even more at her mistake. She mentally slapped herself for expecting him. Why did she expect him? Perhaps she just wanted the comfort of his arm; perhaps it was something else. She looked down at her knees, hoping her hair would hide her expression.

"N-No. It's fine Emiya-san. It's my bad." Emiya sat down beside her to offer her company. Ruri continued her reading while Emiya relaxed and took in the night.

While reading her novel, Ruri became interested in a specific paragraph. In the paragraph, the narrator explained the feelings that the main heroine experienced. It was written vaguely, so it was up to the reader to interpret the meaning behind it. Although she couldn't determine what the meaning was, she could definitely relate to it for some reason. She took a look at Emiya, who had been staring at the moon for quite some time. Emiya noticed Ruri looking at her and asked if there was something on her mind.

"Well, there's this line in this novel that I don't understand what the writer is trying to say. He describes it but he doesn't reveal it. I was hoping to get your input on it."

"Ah, I'm not much of a bibliophile, but please go on." Ruri returned her eyes to the paragraph that had evaded her comprehension.

" _A burning feeling deep in her chest, constricting, and quick. Paradoxically, it's soothing, freeing, and steady. It was beautiful. It couldn't be explained with logic, yet it explained her irrationality. However, it was ugly, for it made her a fool, a slave to her own emotions. So instead, she chose denial._ " With the end of the paragraph, Emiya rubbed her chin in thought for a few seconds before facing Ruri.

"Tell me, Ruri-chan. Have you, perhaps, never felt this before?"

"It feels familia like I have in the past, but I can't remember exactly when or why." Emiya chuckled to herself upon hearing Ruri's answer. She thought it was cute that she had already experienced the emotion she had in mind, but never knew what it was.

"I might be wrong, but I believe that's what you'd call 'Love', no?" Ruri's eyes widened at her answer. Love? Is that what it was? To her, it made sense to the story since it was a romance novel after all. But was it love to her? Was what she had been feeling then, 'love'? If so, then who was the subject of her so-called love? The warmth she felt, the flutter of her heart, the rush of her blood; when she thought of these moments, only one person constantly appeared in her head. The person she loved, the only person who could make her feel that emotion.

 _"I-It can't be… why him…? I love… I-Ichijo-kun…?!"_ This realization hit her hard. More questions came, like when did it start? What did she love about him? Did she want to act on her feelings? More importantly, did he feel the same way? But putting the questions aside, the fact remained: She had fallen for Raku Ichijo. And in that moment, all the confusion she'd been feeling all this time was washed away with this new exciting feeling of… happiness.

"It's a beautiful feeling, isn't it?" When Emiya asked this question, it brought Ruri's attention to the innocent smile now plastered on her face. She tried to revert her face back to normal, but her smile just wouldn't leave. Giving up on hiding it, she thanked Emiya for her input and rushed back inside the resort. _"The smile of first love."_ She thought to herself in the darkness of the night before turning off the lights and retiring back inside her own room.

Standing outside her room, Ruri couldn't stop thinking about this new found feeling of hers. Everything made sense to her now. The signs that had once puzzled her now fit into place. With her grin now slowly merging with her blank face, she admitted to herself that love was certainly as beautiful as the book had described. But as she quietly slid the door open, her eyes landed on Kosaki sleeping peacefully. Her smile faded away until all that was left was a slightly gapped mouth.

It was at that point she realized: her love was as also just as ugly.

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 **Fitting chapter title, huh? What did you think of the realization? Did you expect Ruri to react like that? Did you fangirl like me when I reread it? xD To me, I honestly had a bit of trouble imagining her smiling (mouth wide open) after realizing her feelings. Maybe I've gotten too used to a straight-faced Ruri. But the softer I tried visualizing the smile (mouth only slightly open), the easier it became and the cuter I could see her reacting like that. Small tip to visualize for you guys ;9 Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!**


	9. Festivities

**I deeply apologize for my sudden hiatus. Even though I promised to update every two weeks, it took me a month and a half to post this chapter, and it only took me a few days to complete it. Due to work, my creativity and motivation to write took a sudden plummet. It took me this long to be inspired, and warm up to writing again. But this did not mean I completely forgot about this fanfic. In the time I couldn't write, I spent my time, both at home and at work, thinking up future plots, conflicts, and twists. I even had an idea for a KanColle fanfic somewhere along the way. But besides that, I hope you guys didn't grow too impatient and lost interest in this shipping. I write to entertain, and it'd be a shame if I lost my audience and critics. :^C To make up for my disappearance, I've packed this chapter with a lot of Raku x Ruri moments, which explains the longer-than-usual length (I've kept all these ideas bottled up while I was gone). So, without any more wait, I'm glad to finally announce chapter 9, the end of the Birthday Arc!**

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Ruri had a rough night attempting to fall back asleep. Many thoughts ran through her mind. Was she betraying her friend, Kosaki, by having these feelings for Raku? Was she in the wrong for being unaware of them in the first place? Perhaps she could have prevented them from developing further if she had. She was stuck in a loop of questions until her mind eventually succumbed to sleep. There was no changing the fact that she was, indeed, in love with Raku.

As the morning sun slowly rose, so did the girls, all except for Ruri. A glance was all that was needed for them to see that Ruri didn't get her beauty sleep unlike them. Her eye-bags and messy sleeping form were evidence of her lack of sleep and constant shuffling. The girls decided it was best to let her sleep a bit more until breakfast was ready.

The girls snuck out of the room and into the living room, where Raku and Shu already were reading the mangas they bought yesterday at the mall. Raku would have assisted Emiya in preparing breakfast, but Nanako had beat him to it, so he was sent to the living room to wait with everyone else. And so, the living room was livened with the group's shenanigans of romance and comedy. Luckily, the noise was kept low enough so that it didn't disturb Ruri's much-deserved sleep.

When Shu and Raku finished reading their mangas, Raku offered to return it to their room. On his way to the male's bedroom, he was greeted at the doorway by Emiya and Nanako carrying plates and bowls of food.

"Oh, Raku-kun, just in time. We're about to have breakfast. Could you please fetch Ruri-chan for us on your way back?" Emiya asked in her soft-spoken manner. Raku nodded as he moved aside to let them through before continuing on his way. After tossing the mangas onto his futon, he knocked on the female quarter's door to check if Ruri was awake. With no response, he quietly slid the door open and took a peek inside. He looked around the scattered futons to see a small figure comfortably huddled up in one of them.

He sat beside her futon to gently nudge her by the arm, gaining no reaction. A few more attempts proved to be futile. Just as he was about to give up and leave, her arm tugged down on his sleeve. However, she still seemed to be asleep.

"Just a few more minutes…" She mumbled almost incoherently, waving her other hand around in the air. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself at her drunken-like display.

"Seriously. Did you stay up late to read in the gazebo again?" He tugged back at his own sleeve to free it from her grip. He was surprised that her grip was strong enough to stay latched, even when in her sleep. "Hey, come on, let go. I want to eat too, you know." His shuffling to free himself aggravated Ruri, who thought someone was trying to force her out of bed. She woke up, ready to scold whoever dared to interrupt her rest.

"Sheesh, did you really have to shak-…" She opened her glasses case beside her bed and wore her glasses to take a proper look at the culprit. "Ichijō-kun?!" She was surprised to find her newly found love interest sitting in front of her. As memories of last night's realization flooded her mind, her face kept turning to darker shades of red. Rather than embarrassment or shyness, Raku mistook her flushed face as a sign of a fever. With a worried look on his face, he asked Ruri if she was coming down with a fever. Although she denied it, her red, hot cheeks made her less convincing.

Raku excused himself as he lowered himself closer to her face. He placed his palm on her forehead. Before he could even determine her temperature, Ruri panicked at the sudden closeness of their faces. She pushed him away, stumbling him down to the ground. Although she felt a plethora of emotions wash over her – from surprise to embarrassment – she couldn't help but feel happy that he was worried about her. No matter how hard she tried to reason it away as a friendly gesture, she kept wondering if there was any deeper meaning to it than that. She stood up from her futon, towering over Raku.

"I told you I wasn't sick, idiot. It was just hot under my futon." She stared him down, a furious scowl clear on her face. Sending chills down his spine, Raku took her word for it and apologized, saying he was just worried since he'd never seen her face that flushed before. She sighed as she simply brushed off the whole situation. "And besides, don't just get that close all of a sudden… It's bad for my heart…" She whispered the last sentence, unconsciously muttering her thoughts. When she realized she had said it out loud, she placed a hand over her mouth to stop herself from possibly spouting anymore.

"Eh, bad for your heart? I didn't mean to scare you that much." He gave a confused look. Ruri was grateful that Raku was too dense to understand what she meant by it. She tried coming up with an explanation to hide the real meaning behind her words.

"Wouldn't you agree seeing someone's face so up close this early in the morning would give you a quite a shock as well?" Raku agreed with her reasonable statement as he stood up from his sitting position. With the situation cleared up, he explained the reason he was there in the first place. She fixed her hair and clothes and tidied up her futon before following him out to the dining room. When they arrived, they were greeted by everyone already sitting at the table. They reserved two spots for them, side-by-side. Despite her facial indifference to their seating position, she felt somewhat glad for it.

During breakfast, the group was at a loss for what they should do for their last day at the resort. While pondering over their options, Emiya spoke up with a suggestion. She stood up and grabbed a pamphlet from a nearby shelf. Unfolding it, she revealed the monthly events of their town. The group was in awe at how many events the town held in a month. Emiya ran her fingers through the guide, scanning through the dates until she halted it over the current date, June 19th.

Nanako leaned closer for the teens to read.

"Apparently, the town is hosting a local festival to celebrate the June Solstice."

"Yes, since this year's June Solstice occurs on June 20, the people stay up late during the festival and count it down." Emiya added.

"Well, that's quite a good coincidence. We can go to the festival if you all want, but we can't stay for the countdown, you kids have school tomorrow." The teens gave an exasperated 'Yes'. After having such a relaxing and fun-filled weekend, the thought of returning to school weighed heavily on them. Seeing his friends' moods brought down by the reminder, Shu spoke up in an attempt to cheer them up.

"C'mon guys, let's end Kosaki-chan's birthday celebration on a good note, and with a festival at that!" This seemed to bring the group's mood up, especially Kosaki's. The birthday girl strongly agreed, stating she wanted everyone to enjoy every moment of their weekend. Almost as if they had forgotten about school the next day, the gang looked forward to celebrating the festival together, slowly resuming their meal. From the corner of his eye, Shu could see the thankful expression Kosaki aimed at him. He responded with a slight smile and a quick thumbs up before following everyone else.

Once breakfast was completed, they decided to laze around in the main room, doing whatever kept them busy to pass the time until the festival, whether it be chatting about random topics, or just going about their personal business. As would be expected, Ruri left the chatter-filled room for the peaceful and quiet atmosphere of the gazebo, where she could read in peace.

As the garden entered her field of view, a familiar item caught her eye. In the grass lay a nicely spread out jacket, the one Raku offered Ruri yesterday during her reading session. She bent down to pick it up, but when her fingers rubbed against the soft, freshly sun-dried-and-warmed fabric, she was once again drawn in to lay on it. Falling victim to temptation, she slowly lowered her body on top and tried to recreate the comfortable position she took before. After a few moments of shuffling, she had found it. With her book in hand, and her head laid on the other, Ruri became absorbed in her world of words.

With everyone having some time to keep themselves busy, time passed by for them quickly. They were surprised to hear Nanako announce that the festival was about to start soon. She told them that once they've enjoyed themselves at the festival, they were heading straight back home, so she suggested they all take one final dip in the hot springs before saying goodbye to Emiya and her resort.

Raku was the first to notice Ruri was not present in the room to hear Nanako, and he had a pretty good idea as to where she would be. Before anyone could even volunteer to look for Ruri, Raku started to walk out, saying he knew where to find Ruri and that the girls should wait for her in the bath.

Raku couldn't say he was surprised to see Ruri laying in the same exact position as yesterday. As he walked closer to the relaxed figure, the sound of his feet crushing the grass beneath him grew louder. Ruri noticed his ever growing presence and assumed his reason for being there. She glanced at her watch and confirmed that it was close to the start of the festival. She slowly stood up, this time making sure she didn't stand too fast as to dizzy herself. She wasn't sure if she could handle falling into his arms again in her current state.

"Is everyone getting ready now?"

"Nanako-san said we should go to the hot springs one last time before we leave since we're heading straight home after the festival."

"I see. Thanks for letting me know. Also," She bent down to pick up Raku's jacket and handed it to him. "I forgot to give it back to you yesterday. It's a bit dirty, however..." She was expecting him to have a frustrated look on his face. 'A bit dirty' was an understatement. The back was completely green, brown, and stretched, so it would be understandable if he was even slightly disappointed. But instead, she was met with a bright smile.

"It's fine, it was getting old anyway. I'd rather this happen to my jacket than your clothes."

"No, but still. I could have just read somewhere else, but I…" She was feeling somewhat guilty. She allowed her selfish desires to ruin one of her friends' belongings. She looked back down at the jacket, a grave reminder of what she had done. Despite her face being barely visible and her voice monotone as ever, Raku could quickly pick up her mood.

"Then, how about this?" Ruri raised her head at Raku, ready to accept any request or favor to make up for it. "Let's go shopping again someday and look for another jacket for me. My sense of fashion is probably similar to this dirtied jacket, so I might need your help picking one. Haha!" No punishment. No selfish request. If anything, this sounded more like an invitation to a date.

"Well... if that will suffice for you, I guess I wouldn't mind…" She turned her head to hide her slowly creeping blush. She had just accepted to go out with Raku, albeit a platonic one.

"Great! I'll let you know the next time I'm free. For now, let's head to the baths. Everyone's waiting for you, and we don't have a lot of time before the festival." He turned on his heels and made his way to the male baths. Ruri walked closely behind him, staring at his back.

 _"He could have asked for anything. He could have asked for information on Kosaki. He could have asked me to set them up for a date. And yet, he instead chose to enjoy a day… with me."_ She gently placed her hand on her heart, feeling it beating and heating up. _"Just what am I to you…?"_ She was brought out of her thoughts when she bumped into Raku's back. Confused by his sudden stop, she asked him what was the matter. Raku turned to face Ruri, an embarrassed look on his face.

"W-Well… This is the guy's bath, so…" This flustered Ruri immensely. She had been unconsciously following Raku, and to the baths no less. She probably looked like a pervert hoping to catch a glimpse of him showering in the nude. She could already imagine Raku calling her one in his head. In a moment of panic, she punched him right in the stomach, weakening him to his knees as she ran towards the female's bath.

"I'm not like that!"

"N-Not like… what…?" He said in a raspy voice, struggling for just a single breath of air. Luckily for him, Shu had walked out of the bath, still in his clothes, to search for his friend. Judging from the height of the attack point and the force it produced, he could already tell who the suspect was. Carrying Raku by the shoulder, Shu dragged him into the shower room, hoping some cold water would wake him up.

The sun had fallen close to the horizon. The group, all bathed and prepared, had gathered in front of the resort entrance. Nanako was making some last minute checks on the van before heading out to the festival. With the vehicle ready to go, everyone gave their heartfelt thanks to Emiya, crammed into the van once more, and drove off to their last weekend memory. Since the festival was held locally, the drive was quick. When they arrived at their destination, they were in awe at how bright and lively the festival was. There were stands for food, games, and souvenirs everywhere. Entertainers were dressed in bright, colorful clothing entertaining people of all ages. And according to a billboard, fireworks were to be held near the river. Nanako told everyone to meet back at that exact spot in 2 hours, 7 pm.

Marika clung onto Raku's arm, hoping to drag him away to one of the love charm stands.

"Raku-sama, care to accompany me through this dense crowd? I might get lost without you, you know." She nuzzled herself closer to him, which seemed to spark a reaction from Chitoge.

"Hah? I doubt anyone would even notice you if you went missing here now." Chitoge also clung onto her 'boyfriend's arm, wanting to snatch him away from Marika's clutches for her own. While Raku was slowly being dragged towards the crowds, Kosaki stayed planted in her spot, not gathering the confidence to approach Raku. He looked like he already had enough trouble to deal with, and she didn't want to add onto that. Regardless of her worries, Ruri had gently pushed her towards him, acting as if she was pushed by some invisible person. This caused her to stumble and latch onto his back just as the three of them entered the crowd.

"S-Sorry, Ichijō-kun! I didn't mean to!"

"I-It's fine, Onodera. It's too late to turn back now, so just stay together so we don't get separated." Though he had wished to enjoy the festival with some alone time with Kosaki, he couldn't just let the girls get lost in such a place. It'd be a hassle to find them, and it might delay their leave home. With no choice left, he wandered around the festival with the three girls, buying souvenirs for their loved ones back home, enjoying the food, and showing off his impressive skills at the stand games.

Tsugumi went her own way, while Nanako and Haru stuck together to explore the sights, leaving Shu and Ruri together by their lonesome. Shu asked her if she wanted to check out the festival with him. She figured if she was going to get lost, she might as well have someone with her just in case. She accepted his invitation, walking alongside him into the density of the festival.

After visiting all kinds of stands, sleepy and exhausted, Shu decided that they take a small break at a nearby, isolated bench. After searching near the outskirts of the festival, they found a boulder artistically carved into a bench near a tree. They sat on it to give their feet an ounce of rest. Being located outside of the festival, the atmosphere was quiet, void of any life except for the bespectacled teens. Growing anxious from the silence, Shu attempted to break it with some trivial small talk.

"Hey, Ruri, don't you think this would make for a great confession scene in an anime?"

"Rejected. You're definitely, absolutely not my type." She said in a dead-pan voice. Shu reacted as if her words pierced right through him. He laughed it off, saying he wasn't even trying to confess to her. But he quickly realized something from what Ruri had just said, as a cat-like grin appeared on his face.

"Heh~, so you have a type, huh?" This claim caught Ruri off guard. Did she really imply that with what she just said? Then again, she already has a love interest, so there was no doubt in her that she did, indeed, have a type. But the last person she would ever allow to know was Shu. With him, information spread like wildfire. "Interesting~."

Ruri's eyes were glinting with killing intent. Although he would have enjoyed teasing her for a bit longer, her clenched, shaking fist was a strong enough sign to silence him. The last thing he wanted was being knocked out in such an isolated area. The two resumed the silence, not speaking another word.

 _"Hmm~, I wonder what her type is."_ From afar, mixed within the festival crowds, he noticed spiky, blue hair approaching their area, and fast. The color, the texture, and most of all, the X-shaped hair clips were a dead giveaway as to who it was. Shu saw this as a good opportunity as he stood up abruptly. "I gotta go use the washroom! Stay here, I'll be right back!" And with that, he quickly rushed off the scene, not even giving Ruri time to respond. He was sure he'd get a good beating from her later, but the set-up was too good to pass up. As soon as he disappeared from her vision – hiding behind a nearby bush – Raku came into it, chasing a cat biting onto a bracelet that he had just won from a fish-scooping challenge.

"O-Oi, give that back! I worked hard for that!" He yelled, trying to snatch it from the cat's mouth, but to no avail. He had been chasing the thief for a good five minutes already. Sprinting, jumping over obstacles, and squeezing between crowds had taken its toll on his stamina. He leaned into his knees, panting heavily. Just as he was about to give up on his pursuit, Ruri decided to step into the commotion.

"Hey, Cat!" The bracelet thief turned its curious eyes towards her. From her pocket, she pulled out a small bag of crackers which she had been saving in case she ever got hungry from all the walking. "I'll give you this if you hand over that bracelet. Fair deal?" As if understanding every word she said, the cat sat beside her, placed the bracelet down on the bench, and stared at the bag. Keeping her end of the deal, she tossed the bag towards the cat, who then scampered off with the snacks elsewhere. She picked the bracelet and held it in her open palm for Raku to see.

Raku thanked her but felt bad that she had to give up her food for him. Ruri told him it was nothing and to not worry about it. She wasn't feeling hungry enough to eat them anyway. Tired from all the running he had to do, Raku took a seat beside her, much to her surprise. He sat there, cooling himself with the night breeze, fanning himself with his shirt.

While he kept himself distracted trying to keep himself from sweating anymore, Ruri couldn't help but notice how close they sat. It couldn't be helped since the bench was small, but it made her very conscious, especially at how their hands were literally a few inches away from contact. For whatever reason she had, she felt tempted to touch his hand or even just the fingertips for a few seconds. Whether it would be too obvious or awkward, or she simply couldn't gather up the courage, she just couldn't bring herself to attempt it. Just as she was about to pull her hand away, the night sky burst with bright colors. Red, then orange, then white, then a pair, then triplets. The festival was really going all out with the fireworks.

Together, they sat watching the fireworks, mesmerized by the flashy display. One firework flew up really high. To catch a better look at it, Raku leaned his body further back and adjusted his arm for better support. Without noticing it, for he was too engrossed in the show, he had placed the tips of his fingers on top of Ruri's. The sudden sensation, however slight, brought her attention to their hands. The distance had been suddenly closed between them, his fingers placed over hers. She couldn't handle it, she was about ready to pull it out from under. However, not only would it be too obvious and make the situation awkward, but a part of her wanted it to stay as is. A part of her wanted it to last longer. A few seconds, perhaps? Maybe a few more minutes. But forever would be stretching it, wouldn't it? Logically, and perhaps emotionally, she told herself that not pulling it away was the best course of action here. So while she spent half of her attention on the fireworks, the other half was enjoying the closeness she shared with Raku.

As the grand finale, a huge explosion of green and blue lit up the sky. For what only lasted 2 minutes went by in a blink of an eye. With no signs of any more fireworks flying up soon, Raku stood up and stretched his arms above his head.

"Man, that was great, wasn't it, Ruri? Especially the finale, it was so huge!"

"Yeah, I kind of wished it lasted longer though." For ulterior reasons she would never dare to share. Raku wholeheartedly agreed with her statement, oblivious to what she truly meant. While she held her hand, reminiscing the feeling of his fingers on hers, she noticed the time on her watch: 6:45 pm. Remembering the meet-up time, she notified Raku that they should probably leave soon. Before heading out, Raku had an idea. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bracelet he had won earlier, holding it out for Ruri.

"Here, to make up for giving up your snacks earlier." Before she could even reject him, Raku had cut her off. "I know what you're going to say, and it's fine, honestly. It'd be long gone if you didn't negotiate with that cat, so you deserve it." She hesitated for a bit before ultimately deciding to accept it. A simple, quick thanks were all she offered, which Raku gladly accepted. She pushed her hand through the ivy green beads held together by an elastic string, wrapping themselves snugly around her wrist. "They match your hairpin, don't you think?"

"I guess." She looked up at where the fireworks were a few minutes ago. Smoke from the explosion littered the sky, nearly tainting the blackness with clouds of gray. Curious to what she was looking at, Raku turned his eyes to the general direction she gazed at. But instead, his eyes slowly floated a tad higher.

He looked up to see sprinkles of stars shining through some of the gaps in the tree's leaves. It looked beautiful, to say the least. It was as if the stars were giving their all, trying to break through the tree's leafy blockade to even be just noticed by someones wandering gaze. It was a pointless attempt, as it would be easy to ignore their light for the festival's loud, ecstatic lamps and torches. But despite their subtle attempt, the stars held hope that someone would notice them, even for just a moment. And now, that moment had come, their light finally reaching a pair of eyes, willing to admire them for what little they could do. And that was the true beauty of it all.

"Beautiful…"

"Eh?! Do you mean…" The darkness helped conceal the redness of her cheeks. She followed his eyes, somewhat hoping they were staring right at her, and only to be disappointed they were faced upwards. Nonetheless, she grew curious as to what he claimed to be beautiful. As she looked up as well, she was greeted by the same incredible view. Truly, it was a marvelous scene only the two of them shared.

After they had ingrained the image into their memories, they made their way back to the meet-up. Raku led the way, familiar with the layout of the festival, mostly because he was dragged everywhere by Chitoge and Marika. He decided walking around the festival would be less hassle than going through it. Ruri followed right behind him, while Shu, who had witnessed the whole scene, decided to take a shortcut through the crowds to avoid being caught by Ruri's overly sharp eyes.

 _"So that's her type, huh~?"_ Shu thought to himself as he disappeared back into the festival.

Raku and Ruri were the last few to arrive at the meetup place. As soon as he arrived, Kosaki anxiously walked up to him. This didn't go unnoticed, as Raku was also nervous by her sudden approach.

"Ichijō-kun, I'm glad you didn't get lost. I looked away for a moment, and when I turned back, you were gone." She looked relieved. Raku blushed at her statement, happy at the fact that his secret love interest was worried about him.

"Yeah, sorry, something unexpected came up. But I'm glad you made your way here safely in time."

"Yes, I happened to stumble into Maiko-kun, so he offered to guide me through the festival." From behind her, Raku noticed Shu waving at him while eating takoyaki.

 _"That lucky bastard got to be alone with Kosaki! Damn it!"_ Tears of envy were close to bursting through his tear ducts. While the two secretly mutual love interests were conversing about their experiences at the festival, Ruri stood back from their exchange. The anxious smiles on their faces, the way they fidgeted with their hands and fingers, and the way they looked at each other as if it was only the two of them in the entire world. It was plainly obvious, at least to her, that they were lovesick towards each other. She slowly slid off the bracelet Raku had given to her and hid it inside her pocket.

She knew she had no chance. Not when it came to competing for Raku's attention. And even if she did, would she take it? In that moment, she told herself she wouldn't. She couldn't. Because after all she had done to help Kosaki reveal her feelings to Raku, she couldn't just betray her and try to take him away. Ruri's feelings had just been realized a night ago, whereas Kosaki's had been there since middle school. It would be foolish, selfish of her, even, to prioritize her feelings over her friend's. And that simple fact was all it took for her to cement her resolve. From then on,

 _"This love of mine… ends tonight…"_

 **~!~**

 **Oh man, Do I... *sniffs* smell a hint of Shu x Kosaki? Hmm~! What do you think of this lovestruck Ruri? A bit on the clumsy, easily flustered side, isn't she? If you have any thoughts and tweaks on how she should act during romance scenes, please share them in the Reviews and I will surely take them into consideration. ^^**

 **Post-Update: Props to zumzumzum for sharing their thoughts on Ruri's stutters. Although I thought it would be a cute addition to her personality, I do think it's better to stay true to her calm and collected personality. So I updated this chapter and took away the stutters. Thanks!**


	10. Love Sick

**_Oh man, another month and a half wait for a new chapter. Sorry, but hey, longer waits, longer chapters, so even trade-off, I hope(?) This chapter is packed with a lot of cute Ruri x Raku moments I day dream about during work. Also, I noticed how my word length has gone from 3k to 5k now, which is a huge jump for me. This chapter isn't really part of an arc, more like a one-shot style. I just wanted to give Ruri some more time to develop her feelings a bit after the last chapter. This takes place a few days after the last chapter, just to note that. But next chapter will be part of an arc: the Second Date arc! Look forward to it ^^)b And before the chapter starts, I'd like to thank everyone for supporting this fanfic. The follows, the favorites, and the reviews, I appreciate the continued support! Now, without further Ado, enjoy chapter 10!_**

 ** _~!~_**

 _"Beep! Beep!"_ Digital pings emanated from the small device Ruri's mom had placed in her daughter's mouth. The thermometer displayed 37.8°C, and along with her headache, sweating, and frequent chills, it was clear as day what Ruri had come down with.

"No doubt about it, it's a fever. I'll inform your school, so just take it easy today, ok?" Ruri's mom spoke in light, caring tone. Ruri could do nothing but nod weakly at her mom. "I'll come home early from work today to get you some medicine." She got up from Ruri's bedside and left the room to let her rest.

Bed-ridden, Ruri couldn't find anything to keep her company or stave off her creeping boredom. Staring at a small bright phone screen would probably make her headache worse, and her body was too weak to even walk to her bookshelf. She regretted not asking her mother to fetch her a few books before she left. With nothing to do, she found solace in her thoughts.

 _"Ah, this sucks."_ Her eyes wandered around her room. It is said that a person's room represents their personality, and Ruri's room would have been a textbook example of that saying. It was a simple room, minimalist to say the least, but, in turn, was quite neat and organized. Her gaze landed on the top of her storage cabinet, which was littered with memorabilia. Among the pictures of her friends and her childhood teddy bear, which she still calls _Fuwa_ for 'fluffy', two objects reached her heart: a bejeweled hairpin and a green-beaded bracelet. The latter reminded her of the night of the recent festival. _"Stop it. I already decided that it's pointless. They're nothing more than just presents of gratitude."_ She turned her body to face away from what caused her both comfort and pain. _"At least, I want to believe that…"_

Every time she pondered about her feelings, it would always lead to a cycle of denial and doubt. Rather than go through the arduous loop, she decided that sleep would do her body and mind well. Her headache and weak body made it easy for her to fall asleep, and she stayed as such for the rest of the day.

While Ruri spent half the day recuperating in her bed, students spent theirs at school. School had just finished, and they were packing their belongings, ready to head home. Before even getting past the classroom door, Raku was called back by the teacher. Knowing of Raku and Ruri's friendship, the teacher entrusted Raku to bring the lesson notes and handouts to Ruri to keep her caught up with the class. He accepted the request, and after attaining the notes from the teacher and her address from Kosaki, he made his way straight to Ruri's house.

The journey was quite familiar to him since Ruri did reside in the same direction as his house. Along the way, he came across the local drug mart. From what he heard from homeroom, he knew Ruri had a fever and assumed she was probably stuck in her bed the whole day. In her current state, Raku doubted if she could take care of herself properly.

 _"I wonder if she's eating properly. How about medicine?"_ He felt uneasy thinking of the what-ifs. Giving into his worries, Raku decided to do what he could to help his ill friend. He entered the store and scanned the pharmaceutical aisle for fever medicine. After he had paid for the small bottle of medicinal liquid and left the mart, another store had caught his eye. A small smile grew on his face. _"Well, can't hurt, can it?"_ He thought as he entered the relatively small but welcoming store. He didn't mind spending a bit extra for a friend.

With a shopping bag in one hand, he stood in front of the Miyamoto house door. He rang the doorbell a few times, hoping a family member would open it for him. After waiting a few seconds, and with no response, he gave up on the doorbell. He could see that a bedroom on the second floor had its lights on. With no family member to open the door, he could only assume the room to belong to Ruri. He pulled out his phone with one hand and sent her a quick message to let her know of his presence.

 _"Are you awake? Sorry if I woke you up with this message or with the doorbell earlier. You feeling better?"_ Ruri, who was awake even before the ringing, stared at her phone screen. She didn't expect Raku, of all people, to come to her house.

 _"What is he doing here? Wait, he knows I'm sick. It was probably announced during attendance, then. But still, why is he-?"_ A thought popped into her head, one that ever so slightly raised her temperature. _"Was he… worried about me…?"_ If that was the case, and she sure hoped it was, then she couldn't just leave him idling outside. It would be rude to let him worry about her for too long. _"Guess I have no choice but to let him in, right? Right. That's the only reason I'm letting him in."_ She let her monster of reason justify the message she sent to him.

Raku's phone vibrated after a small wait, signifying a received text.

 _"Bed-ridden. Spare key under the pot, left of the doorway."_ He was dumbfounded at how short and straightforward Ruri's texts always were. Following the message's instructions, he used the spare key to unlock the door, placed it back in its hiding spot, and entered the house, making sure lock the door on his way in. "Pardon the intrusion." He said to no one in particular; a simple gesture of respect for the house, at least. He placed the shopping bag on what he assumed to be the dining table, placed the unboxed medicine in his coat pocket, and made his way to the direction of the lit room from outside. It didn't prove to be difficult, as he quickly spotted a door with the door label "Ruri" on the front. He knocked gently, not wanting to agitate Ruri's headache any further.

"Come in." A weak voice commanded. With that, he slowly opened the door to reveal a small plain room. In a small, one-person bed laid a small, frail girl, her hair messily scattered upon her pillow. "Why are you here?" She hoped for a certain response.

"The teacher asked me to give you today's lecture notes." He said as he placed his bag down to pull out a bundle of papers. His straight answer discouraged Ruri. She didn't know why she had to bring her hopes up; she thought of how foolish she was to disappoint herself. She instructed Raku to place the papers on her study table. Once he had neatly placed the papers, Ruri expected him to leave. Instead, he walked closer to her bedside and knelt on the ground.

"What? You've done what you came here for." Her voice had a hint of agitation. It would have probably made it easier on her if he had just left then. This caught Raku off guard but decided to brush it off. He thought it was probably the fever getting to her.

"Have you taken any medicine?" She gave him a curious look as she responded with a blunt 'No'. Raku pulled out the small bottle from his coat, which Ruri could recognize as medicine. "I guessed so. Here, I bought you some medicine from the drug store." She held her hand out for the medicine to inspect, which Raku handed over. It wasn't just some generic medicine for an illness or a headache, Raku had specifically picked one out for a fever.

"You didn't have to, you know." But she kept her guard up. She wasn't going to repeat the same mistake again. She kept her eyes on the bottle, avoiding eye contact.

"Hey, I was worried about whether or not you were taking care of yourself properly." This quickly shifted her attention from the bottle to Raku. The words that she longed to hear from him. Her grip on the bottle weakened as surprise and relief filled her. If the fever had one positive thing about it, it would be the fact that her flushed face was probably hiding her blush.

"You were?"

"Obviously," He said matter-of-factly as if there existed some reason as to why he shouldn't be. "And have you eaten anything today?"

"Just breakfast before my mom took my temperature." Upon hearing this, Raku's expression had turned wide-eyed. He couldn't believe that Ruri had an empty stomach since that morning, and it was already 4:20 pm. He got up, with a determined look on his face.

"Then, is it fine if I use your kitchen to cook something for you? I can't let you just lay there starving, and you can't take medicine before a meal either." Ruri couldn't fathom the situation she was in. Raku was going to such lengths to take care of her. First, going out of his way to buy her medicine. Now, he was offering to prepare a meal for her. Would one go so far for just an ill friend? Before she could even say anything, her stomach gave a light growl, sending her beyond embarrassment. This had happened once before, and she already knew what was coming. With no surprise to her, she saw a small smirk on Raku's lips. "Is that going to be a yes?" With all her effort, she tried to keep her face as straight as possible.

"…Do whatever you want, idiot." She turned her whole body to the side, covering herself even more with her blanket. A small chuckle escaped Raku's lips. It was light, but for some reason, the sound of it made her feel pleasant. Just when did she grow weak to these things from him? As he quietly left the room, Ruri finally got the chance to relax, but something seemed to gnaw at her.

 _"The room feels lonelier now."_ She turned her head slightly to look at the door. _"It's not like I want him to come back soon. I just want the food."_ Her eyes then landed back on the medicine bottle, which now stood near her bedside stand. _"Right, I also want to take my medicine. That's all."_ And slowly, her eyes turned their sleepy gaze towards her treasured hairpin and bracelet. _"Ah… Who am I kidding…?"_ She thought to herself as she clutched her chest, her eyes closed. _"Just… come back soon, idio…"_ Her mind slowly drifted to sleep, her body laid motionless on her soft mattress. "Ichijō…"

Downstairs, Raku sifted through Ruri's refrigerator to look for something to cook, preferably soup. Fortunately for him, her family had all the necessary ingredients necessary to make a nice, hot bowl of chicken soup, perfect for common illnesses. He laid out the broth, vegetables, spices, and of course, chicken legs. Just as he was about to start the preparation, he heard the front door unlock. A silhouette of a small statured woman holding a bag walked through the doorway

She had noticed an extra pair of shoes laying at the doorway, curious as to who it might belong to. Raku had walked out of the kitchen to greet her. Noticing his uniform – behind the apron he wore – she realized he was from her daughter's high school before he could introduce himself. "Oh, a friend of Ruri's, I assume?" Her voice was soft and kind, a contrast of her daughter's blunt and cold speech.

"Ah, yes. My name is Raku Ichijō, the same year as your daughter. A pleasure to meet you." He bowed to her, hands locked at his sides. She commented to herself on how polite he was.

"Pleasure to meet you as well, Raku-kun. My name is Saori. I guess my daughter told you about the spare key. Are you here to check on her?"

"Yes, I bought her medicine for her fever on the way here." This surprised her, as it was rare for a friend to do that much when visiting a sick friend. She decided to keep the medicine she bought in her bag a secret. "Also, if you don't mind, I'm using your kitchen to prepare some soup for her." It was at this point, she started to seriously wonder what his relationship with Ruri was. But she would leave the pondering for later.

"Of course not. In fact, I'll help out with the preparations once I've changed clothes."

"Take your time." He was being polite, perhaps overly with his speech, but he guessed that was appropriate when meeting the parents of a friend for the first time. As Saori walked into her room, Raku walked back into the kitchen, preparing the vegetables and heating up the water in the pot. It didn't take Saori long to change into her home clothes, but when she arrived at the kitchen, Raku had just finished chopping the vegetables, and washing and seasoning the chicken legs. It was clear to her that Raku was experienced in the kitchen. He had already taken care of the hard part, so all that was left for her to do was add the broth and the ingredients into the pot, and wait.

She thanked Raku for his hard work and asked him if he could take a glass of water up to Ruri, while she took over the rest of the cooking. He obliged, taking off the apron and handing it to Saori. She began tying the apron around her as she began thinking to herself. _"Buying her medicine, and now cooking for her. He'd make such a caring husband in the future."_ As she finished tying her apron, her motherly smile transformed into wide, smug grin. _"Guehehe~ I can expect grandchildren soon. Right, right?"_ The thought of being a grandmother filled her with so much glee, she nearly forgot that the stove was on, had it not been for the slight smell of smoke that reached her nostrils.

Upstairs, Raku knocked on Ruri's door to see if she was awake. The lack of response meant she was asleep, so he quietly entered the room and snuck to the other side of the bed to see her current state. Her face was much less flushed as earlier, a sign that her fever had gone down a bit, but still there. With not much to do, he just sat on the ground near her bed. Whether she was awake or asleep, there was always this silent atmosphere that stood around them. But he didn't mind because, in his hectic life, these were the rare moments he had to savor. He closed his eyes and leaned against the bed-side stand, trying to take in the serenity.

"I'm the sick one, yet you're the one trying to sleep." The silence was interrupted by a cold statement from none other than.

"At least someone got to sleep here." He replied with a witty remark. He held a glass of water up to her to take. "Feeling any better?"

She took a satisfying drink from her glass to keep her hydrated – and to at least fill her stomach with something to prevent further unnecessary 'sounds' from erupting there. "Somewhat. I can at least sit up now." She proceeded to do so rather slowly. Raku informed her that her mother was currently home preparing the soup for her. He said it should take about an hour or so for the soup to be served. With an affirming nod from Ruri, not a word was shared between the two. It became one of those times when it became difficult or awkward for either of them to start a conversation, especially since it was just the two of them in the room.

Despite the awkward situation, Ruri didn't want to let this opportunity to pass by. Very rarely did the two ever have time alone, and those were the only times when the two could have a heart-to-heart talk about anything. So gathering up her courage and swallowing up her insecurities, she attempted to start a conversation.

"So, Ichijō-kun." He turned his body slightly to look at her. "What's the significance of that pendant you always wear? You seem rather attached to it." It took a few seconds for Raku to realize which pendant she was referring to before he pulled it out from under his shirt. He held it in his hands adoringly, recollecting fond memories from his past.

"This old thing? Well, it's kind of a long story." He shifted himself closer to the bed so Ruri could get a closer look at the item. "Ten years ago, I made a promise to a girl. I don't remember what her name was, or even what she looked like. But I do remember the promise: when we grow up, we'd meet each other again. As a sign of that promise, I took this pendant and she took the key to it, so when we do meet, we'd be able to open this together and reveal whatever's inside." Before he continued on with his story, his face grew somber. Ruri had taken notice of this and knew this story was brought up some negative memories for him. "We even promised to get married when it did happen. Looking back now, it sounds like some silly promise kids playing house would make, huh?"

"Ichijō-kun…" She was starting to get worried for Raku. She never liked seeing her friends upset, but more so Raku recently.

"I've thought about giving up on the promise once, but Kosaki made me rethink doing so. But now, I'm really wondering if that was the right choice." His grip on the pendant tightened. "Hey, Miyamoto. What do you think? Is this pendant still worth keeping?" He finally looked up at her, staring right at her eyes. While his face remained composed, almost as if all he had done was share some fairy tale, Ruri could see it in his eyes; the confusion, desperation, the helplessness. If even for a moment, she wanted to relieve him of all his worries.

"You're right, it does sound like some silly kid's promise." She said bluntly. This struck Raku somewhat harshly. Though he himself called it the same earlier, it still pained him to hear someone else confirm it. He broke eye contact as he looked down at what he now viewed as nothing more but a pendant, now holding no significance whatsoever. "The marriage part, at least." She continued. "You'd obviously regret it if you, by chance, happen to meet the girl again, only for you to have tossed the pendant away. That pendant and her key are the only things connecting you two, no matter the distance. It would be unfair for her if you just gave up like that, wouldn't it?"

"Y-You're right." Her answer so much sense, she made it seem like common sense. And that made Raku realize just how unclear he is about a lot of his feelings.

"As for the marriage part, I suggest you give up on that," Raku asked why, as that was also part of their promise. "Just like how it would be unfair to her if you tossed your promise aside, it would be unfair to you if you withheld on marriage for the chance of marrying some girl you barely even remember. Your happiness can't rely on the past forever."

Everything Ruri had said, down to the last letter, was true. Raku, dumbfounded by her unassuming wisdom, couldn't help but be overly grateful to her. He wondered what he might have done if he didn't inquire her about this issue. He might have done something he'd really regret later on. He knew he could always rely on Ruri for advice. Even if it hit him hard, she always knew the right thing to say. She wasn't the one to be swayed by emotions or bias. She spoke the truth, the logical response, something that he could never argue against. He placed the pendant back inside his shirt, keeping it safe beside his heart.

"Thank you, Miyamoto. Really. I feel more at ease now." All he could do to show his gratitude was a beaming smile. And that made all that Ruri had done worth the effort.

 _"There's that smile again."_ She thought as a small smile of her own appeared. She wondered if she'll ever get used to seeing it. Perhaps not; it always brought her this feeling of warmth whenever she did. "Good, at least you've stopped brooding. In a girl's room, no less. You call yourself a man?" She mocked to lighten the atmosphere.

"Hey now, no need to add insult to injury." Of course, he knew what she said was meant in a teasing matter, and the friendly banter that ensued after further improved his mood. At school, they acted no more and no less than just friends. There was always this space between them, space they chose to ignore in favor of their other friends. But in the comfort and closeness provided by Ruri's room, that space seemed to disappear.

Saori knocked on Ruri's door and entered the room with a tray holding a steaming hot bowl of chicken soup. Too weak to get up from her bed and take it, Raku offered to help set it up in a breakfast-in-bed-like style. So while Ruri simply sat on her bed, Raku and her mom were busy preparing her meal. In her head, she thought it was nice to be spoiled like this once in a while. It made her feel like a princess, if not for the fever. Once the table was set up, Saori left the room to clean up downstairs, leaving Raku and Ruri alone again.

Ruri spent her time enjoying her soup. Raku, on the other hand, just sat on the ground with not much to do. Not wanting to interrupt her much-anticipated meal, Raku decided to leave her be and observed her room. At the corner of it, he noticed a small bookshelf filled with light novels. Quietly, he crawled over to it and quickly scanned the collection. Judging from their titles, and from her taste in literature, he guessed that most of these were romance.

"Something caught your eye there?" Ruri asked out loud. She didn't mind him looking through her books. If anything, it made her happy that someone else also took an interest in her prized collection. It was refreshing to see someone else other than her going through that shelf.

"Well, I recently just finished ' _Seasons of Romance'_ , so I thought it might be time for me to look for a new novel to read." This excited Ruri for a bit. Not only did she get to show off her plethora of light novels, she could also recommend him some of the good ones. And if he manages to finish those, they could perhaps share more conversations about what they liked and disliked about them. It was a win-win situation for both her literary and love-struck side, but she wanted to focus more on the literary side.

Ruri said she could lend him some of her books if was interested in them. While Raku was glad to hear that, he noticed that Ruri had stopped eating in her excitement. Not wanting her to delay her meal, and thus, her medicine, he told her to finish her meal first, and hopefully, by then, he would've had a few books he'd like to hear her opinion on. So with no rush, Ruri took her time with her soup, and Raku took his' with reading synopses and seeing which ones caught his eye.

When Ruri had finally finished her soup, she asked if Raku had made his choices. Raku responded by saying he had five to choose from. Excited to see which ones interested him, she quickly demanded him to show her. However, Raku had other plans in mind.

"Hmm~, and what about your medicine?" He playfully teased her with a smug smile. In her anticipation, she easily forgot about her sickness. Wanting to get it over with, she twisted the bottle cap open, and with the included measuring cup, filled it to the guide line with the pinkish viscous liquid. She took one small sip, only to be instantly repulsed by its horrid taste. She couldn't even bring it one inch closer to her mouth. She denied – outright refused – to take such a distasteful ingredient. But she knew this was a necessity, an evil necessity towards getting better. In one quick movement, she downed the whole cup of medicine. The taste lingered in her mouth, then down her throat, causing her to cough in a desperate attempt to reduce the taste.

"W-Was it that bad?" Raku walked up beside her and started rubbing her back to help ease her suffering. Although Ruri hated him for getting her what tasted like poison, she couldn't hate him much afterward because of what he was doing currently. Even when the coughing had receded, he kept rubbing her back just in case. Her parents have done it countless times in the past to her, but with Raku, it was different. His hands ran gently up and down her back, the slow stroking motion soothing her, comforting her immensely. And when she finally regained her composure, she found Raku sitting on her bed, closing the distance between them. Just the thought of being alone in her room with the boy she liked, together in bed, sent her heart racing. "Bear with the taste, I'm sure it'll all be worth it tomorrow." Though his wording seemed suspicious, she assumed it was just his way of saying she would be fully healed by tomorrow.

"Yes, horrible. That's medicine, I guess." She lied back down in bed, stopping Raku's hands from massaging her back. Though she wished for it to last just a moment longer, she knew it wouldn't be good for her already high-paced heart. "I never got to thank you for taking care of me today." She never liked the idea of being in debt to anyone, and always repaid the kindness of others. "Thank you, Ichijō-kun. I owe you." Her fever had gone down significantly. The soup helped give her the energy she needed, and the medicine reduced her nauseousness. At her state, she could walk around the house, albeit slowly and probably with the help of a wall for support.

Though he had no more reason to stay there, he did so anyway, and Ruri knew this as well. Perhaps they both just enjoyed the other's company so much, reasons were unneeded. "Ah, right, the novels that interested me." This phrase perked Ruri's ears up, as she slowly got up from her laid position into a sitting position. This enthusiasm of her's was something Raku often found to be cute. It wasn't often he got to see her like this, as she always had her guard up in public. She asked him to present his choices in front of her. As instructed, he laid out five books on her lap. Right away, she could tell Raku had a good taste in romance light novels – after all, his choices were her favorites as well.

"Hmm. All these have good plots and characters. But seeing as you're quite the slow reader," A slight 'Hey…' was heard from Raku. She pressed her finger on one of the novels. "I recommend this one. It uses a lot of imagery, so I think you'll enjoy reading the descriptive scenes the most." Raku picked up the one she had chosen. _'Blind Cupid's Arrow'_ , a love story between a cynical florist and an overly enthusiastic and blind woman.

Ruri said he could borrow the book since she's already read it. Raku thanked her, letting her know he'll definitely read it. He gladly placed it in his bag, ready to read it when he comes home from school the next day. He takes a look around the room to see that it has dimmed quite a bit. None of them realized it, but it was already getting close to dusk. Time flew by for the two, and they both knew Raku had to depart soon. As a courtesy for all he had done, Ruri, feeling the strength return to her body, offered to at least see him off at the front door.

Though she struggled a bit, she eventually got out of the bed and, holding onto Raku's sleeve, much to her embarrassment, they made it down the stairs and to the entrance hallway.

"Thanks again for everything, Ichijō-kun."

"No sweat. I'm just glad you're feeling better now." With his shoes on, and double checking his belongings, he opened the door and walked through the doorway. He held his bag up, which carried inside it the novel he was very excited to read soon. "When I get far enough into the story, I'll share my thoughts on it with you." Recently getting into reading, he found some joy and entertainment in discussing a book, especially with Ruri. Even if his analysis seemed amateurish or flawed, he enjoyed knowing what other people thought of the book, regardless of whether or not it went against his own.

"Then start reading faster, the good parts of the story come around the middle chapters." She criticized his slow reading speed again, though she never meant any offense to him. Perhaps she just wanted to have that discussion with him as soon as possible. It seemed they both now shared an interest towards their small book talks, no matter its rarity in occurrence.

With their farewells and good nights exchanged, Raku parted from her home. Slowly, she made her way back to her room. She laid back in her bed, where she had spent half of the day sleeping, and the other half with Raku. The day had gone great for her, despite her fever. Her eyes wandered around her room, and it was as if she could still feel Raku's lingering presence there; though he was gone, she didn't feel as lonely. From the dimness of her room, an object glimmered, catching her eye once more. The beaded necklace, what was once a reminder of her resigned love, now meant something else to her.

Earlier, she would have denied her feelings towards Raku, see his actions towards her as nothing more than friendly exchanges. But today changed how she saw it all. Spending the rest of his day taking care of her, she realized something she never had. She held an important place in his heart, and though it may not have been as significant as Kosaki's or Chitoge's, this was enough for her. Just knowing that he cared enough to buy her medicine and cook for her was enough to let her rest easy tonight; perhaps even have a good dream. Rather than forfeit her love, she decided perhaps it was fine to let it last a bit longer. Rather than to deny, she embraced this strange emotion of hers and wanted to cherish it to the moment it fades.

The next morning, Ruri got up from her bed, feeling refreshed. With the fever completely gone, she felt like she could take on the world. Preparing herself for the day to come and dressing into her school uniform, she went downstairs to greet her mom, who had already prepared breakfast for the both of them. While they both silently ate, her mom had suddenly remembered something from yesterday.

"Ah, Ruri, before I forget, Raku left something for you yesterday. I placed it in the fridge to keep it fresh."

 _"Keep it fresh? In the fridge?"_ She thought about the phrasing of it. It could only mean he left her something to eat. As the curiosity got the better of her, she got up from her seat before even finishing her meal. From the curious look in her eye and her eagerness, Saori guessed Raku must have kept it a secret from her, which was a smart move by him; it was rare to see Ruri this eager over a present. When Ruri opened the fridge, a small, triangular white box sat in the middle with see through plastic on top. She took a peek, only to be surprised by what was contained within it. _"Blueberry cheesecake…!"_ There were words written on top of it, as well. _"Get well soon! ^^"_ As if he hadn't done enough for her yesterday, he also got her a get well cake, and it was her favorite kind too. Just how many times was he planning to surprise her or to deepen her feelings for him?

She left it in the fridge, saving it for later when she got home. She walked back to her seat at the dining table, where her mom was expectantly smiling at her. "Well, you've got something to look forward to today, don't you?"

"Can't let it go to waste, can I?" Her mom gave her a childish pout, who was expecting a more interesting response from her. Then again, it would have been too embarrassing for her to admit that she had _someone_ to look forward to instead.

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 **Ohoho, Ruri's finally being more honest with herself, though not to others, as expected. And it seems Raku and Ruri are sharing more moments together, which also seems to be getting deeper and more personal. w) Since I didn't want to keep referring to Ruri's mom as, well, "Ruri's Mom", it was more convenient for me to just give her an OC name. I've also updated my user page to include my future ships and fanfics, so check it out and tell me which ones catch your eye. So, what did you think of this chapter? Did you think the shift from denying her feelings in the last chapter to accepting it in this one was a bit too quick? And how about Raku, it seems he cares for Ruri more than he realizes. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Until next time, look forward to the upcoming arc!**


	11. Emergence

**Another month, another chapter! We've reached 2,000 views, and I want to thank everyone for helping me reach this milestone and for your continued support! For this chapter, I wanted to experiment with Ruri's personality for a bit and give her a balanced mix between her feminine and playful side to see how that would play out in this arc. Feel free to share your thoughts on it and if you liked it, how I can improve (or if not, why it didn't work out so well). I wanted Ruri to develop further from her usual passive/stoic personality. I hope that doesn't break her character too much because as I wrote this, her feminine/playful side grew on me w)b Without further delay, please enjoy the first chapter of "The Second Date" arc!**

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Weekends are best spent doing what one desires. In the case of Ruri, that would be, of course, reading her novels. She could and will spend hours on end cooped up in her room indulging herself in her small literary world, the silent atmosphere remaining unbroken. It was 11 pm when the silence was abruptly interrupted by the slight vibrations from her phone. Not many people messaged her or called her since – even she admitted it – she was quite lackluster in over-the-phone conversations. She swore that if it was Shu, she would be ready to block his number for the rest of her weekend. Without taking her eyes off the page, she answered the phone.

"Who's calling?"

"Ah, Miyamoto, it's Raku. I'm not interrupting you, am I?" That familiar voice made her heart skip a beat. She needed confirmation, and the caller information granted it. She dropped her book to hold onto the phone with both her hands.

"No, not really. What is it?"

"I was wondering. Are you free today?" His question seemed to come out of nowhere. She was tempted to ask if he was asking her out, but she decided not to. The weird wording would have made it awkward for the both of them.

"I'm free."

"Great! Want to meet up at Bonyari Mall later? You did promise to help me pick out a jacket." She recollected past events and remembered making such a promise when she stained and stretched his jacket back at the hot springs resort.

"A promise is a promise." She said to hide her anticipation for the meetup. On the surface, she was accepting his offer simply out of commitment. But truthfully, she was more than delighted to spend time with him. A light nervous laugh came from the speakers.

"It sort of feels like I'm forcing you. You don't have to go if you don't feel like it."

"I said I'm going!" Her voice raised slightly out of caution that their "date" would be canceled. "1:30 PM. Same place as last time. And don't be late." With that, she hung up. Raku was surprised by her suddenly taking over the meeting. Then again, as always, he thought that was just so like her.

Out of habit, she wore her normal casual clothes, which was nothing eye-catching. If it were any other outing, she would have been satisfied with her appearance. It wasn't like her to stress over her outfit. But much like a maiden in fresh love, spending time with her crush made her more self-conscious. So with the knowledge she had gained from the girls at the hot springs, she produced an outfit that was a bit more stylish but still overlapped with her simplistic style. Complete with her treasured hairpin and bracelet, and even she surprised herself at how much cuter she looked. She wondered if Raku would think the same. Such embarrassing thoughts would be cast aside, but a smile made its way nonetheless.

She always arrived early for meetups and prided herself on being punctual. So she didn't expect to see Raku waiting at the tree before her. It was almost hard to believe he was the same guy who was a few minutes late for their first outing, and over a book no less. Looks like he had become more reliable in time, she thought. Before she could even reach him, Raku had already spotted her and approached her.

Raku didn't really have a concrete plan or list of stores to visit. Just like their first time shopping, it was just a matter of walking around until something caught their interest. Considering that he was the one who hosted it, she was expecting him to at least have some idea of where to go. She would have been disappointed if not for the fact that this meant they would spend more time together.

"It's fine. That's how it went the first time anyways." Side by side, the two walked around the mall, keeping their eyes open for any clothing stores. They found one that displayed a nice selection of jackets. So with high hopes, they went inside and examined their options.

From jacket to jacket, the two would go through them until they found one they both liked. This was easier said than done because while Raku leaned more towards jackets with interesting – and sometimes weird – designs and bright colors, Ruri leaned to darker tones and little to no designs. This led to quite a few disputes and debates, but eventually, they came across one with a good balance of style and simplicity.

"Hey, I actually like this one," Raku said, holding the piece of clothing up. Ruri shared the same thought. They had picked out a varsity jacket, two-toned with dark colored sleeves and light base. He tried it on in front of her and asked how it looked on him.

"You look cooler." She said with a jokingly blank expression, which didn't help her sound convincing at all. Happy with their selection, Raku went ahead and paid for it while Ruri waited outside the store. When they met up, Raku noticed that Ruri was only wearing light clothes. Her outfit consisted of a light cyan shirt with a skirt jumper, which emphasized how feminine she looked. He unzipped his jacket and held it out to her.

"Miyamoto, why don't you try it on?" When asked for his reason, he simply said he was curious as to how it looked on her. She did sort of like the jacket, so it didn't hurt to at least see how it fared on her. She slipped it on, which made her realize that it was way too big on her; the sleeves hid her entire arm. She held up her arms, Oshino Ougi style. He found it hard to admit out loud, but Ruri was way too cute.

"What do you think? Too big, right?" She tilted her head slightly, further adding to the cuteness she was unaware of. At this rate, Raku wasn't sure if he could handle it. His face was slightly red from ear to ear, and Ruri could tell what he was thinking. He struggled to form a sentence and blurted out the first thing that came to mind while flailing his arms in panic.

"Y-Yeah. You look cu- I mean, it looks good on you…" Ruri could connect the dots (stutters) in her head. She was happy to know that he thought of her that way, though she wished he could say the same about her current outfit and not just for the jacket. At the side, they could hear a couple talking amongst themselves

"That's adorable. The girlfriend trying on her boyfriend's new jacket." This flustered both Raku and Ruri. It was undeniable that what they were doing was quite couple-like. Ruri took off the jacket and handed it back to its owner.

"Idiot, you're going to cause misunderstandings." She held the jacket up with one arm and used the other to hide half of her face from him. No matter how stoic she kept her face, the blood rushing to her cheeks had betrayed her attempt at keeping her cool. Raku slowly took it back, him also tilting his head to hide his blush. To break the awkward tension, he tried to spark a conversation with her.

"Looks like shopping for a jacket was easier than we thought, huh? Are you going to go home now?" It only took them about an hour to finish what they came to do. Ruri was hit with a personal dilemma. She didn't want the day to end yet. She wanted to be with him more, but she was too embarrassed to admit that.

"I guess so. I have nothing else to do here." She was saddened to hear herself say those words. In a sense, she was betraying herself, and she hated that. She looked down to hide the disappointment written across her face.

"Then if you want, we can still go around a bit. It's still too early to end it here, and I still kind of want to hang out a bit longer." Ruri looked up and saw the look on his face as he said those words. He showed no embarrassment nor fear. He truly wanted to spend more time with Ruri, and Ruri wanted the same. All she had to do was accept it.

"Alright." She smiled, happy to finally get the burden off her chest. "Let's keep going, then." He returned his own smile, happy to hear the mutual desires. Raku happily led the way to the next destination, which he promised was going to be fun. Ruri had full faith in him as she followed, excited to see where they would end up.

As they got closer to where Raku was headed, the noises of machines and crowds grew louder. After walking for a bit, he finally stopped in his tracks. Ruri looked in front of him to see where he had planned the next event of their "date": an arcade. Ruri had a disappointed look on her face. It wasn't like she was expecting anything fancy or romantic, but she also didn't expect an arcade. Raku noticed the look on her face and explained his choice.

"This is something Shu and I came up with whenever we came here. We play against each other in as many ticket-rewarding games we can. The winner of the most games can cash in all the tickets for whatever they want at the store." The idea was simple enough, and it did sound like a good time waster. Ruri was hesitant but chose to give it a try. After purchasing a cup-full of tokens, the two headed to the first competitive game they found: air hockey. At first, the game had become a war of attrition. The puck bounced between the two players without a single score, but by some chance, Raku had managed to score against his opponent. "Heh, the first point's mine!"

Whether Ruri had a competitive spirit or she was just prideful, she didn't take this loss lightly. She hadn't really been giving it her all, instead of playing neutrally. But seeing the scores 0-1 in Raku's favor had flipped her switch. The second round started, and it almost looked like a rerun of the first. Neither one was giving the other a challenge. But as soon as she spotted an opening in Raku's defense, Ruri smashed the puck and elegantly bounced it off the sides into Raku's goal. The score was tied at 1 now. The sudden strength behind her hit both surprised and excited Raku.

"Looks like you're finally getting serious." Raku leaned further into a better stance, and so did Ruri. He could see the fire in her eyes, dead set on winning. From the third round and onwards, the game had taken a full 180 turn from the first. Each hit had scoring intent, each bounce was calculated, and every advantage was taken by the pair. Raku had to admit that not even Shu had given him as much of a challenge as she did. By the fifth and final round, the game had tied at 2-2. They both gave it their best, but at the end, a victor had to emerge.

"Oh man, that was intense." Raku, the winner of the match, bent down and collected the tickets from his side. "You can choose the next game." Ruri tugged on – or more like grabbed – his sleeve and quietly dragged him to a fighting game. She sat on one side of the machine.

"I'm not going easy on you, Ichijo-kun." She dropped a token in her side.

"Wasn't expecting you to." Raku dropped his own. With both of them seated down, the match started. Despite Raku's efforts, after 3 rounds in a row, his character laid pathetically on the ground, relentlessly defeated by Ruri's fighter. He was shocked beyond belief. He didn't even get a chance to put up a fight against Ruri, who controlled her fighter like a pro. Ruri stood beside him, a smug smirk shining across her face. Little did Raku know that she had become quite adept at fighting games due to her grandfather asking to play such games with her frequently as a child.

Their competition was fierce. From ski-ball to trivia games to shooting games, it was as if these two were born rivals. They would come to close games, often winning by a slim margin. Raku thought he had the advantage since he had come to the arcade and played their games multiple times. But Ruri seemed almost like a prodigy, beating him on her first try, and if not, coming close to his score. Though they saw one another as serious rivals, and the date had become more of a competition, they were both enjoying their time, especially Ruri. She had never gone to an arcade before, so she didn't expect to have so much fun in one. After a hard-fought game, through her determined face, Raku could see the excitement in her eyes, and the small smiles of joy regardless of whether she won or lost.

With their tokens down to two, they had just enough for one more match. Their tally of wins had come to a tie, which meant the next one would be the deciding factor. Fortunately for Raku, it was his turn to choose the next game. He walked to one corner of the arcade with Ruri following closely behind him. He saved the game he was best at for last. He admitted that he only played it against Shu if he felt like he needed a small boost to his tally. Dance Dance Revolution.

Their last match started. Raku selected a song he was confident in doing well in. He could have selected an easier song for Ruri since it was her first time playing, but she wouldn't have accepted such a thing, and he knew that. The skill difference was clear from their starting positions. Raku had grabbed onto the arm supports, while Ruri simply stood in the center of her stage. She did notice this, however, and copied him.

The song began with a slow melody and easy to follow steps. Neither player had trouble with the warm-up. But as the pace began to pick up, the game started demanding both feet simultaneously, then long strings until there were no more rests in-between; just a constant flow of steps.

The song neared its final few seconds. Their scores, just like in previous matches, were close but one had come out on top. A simple mistake from either one could tip the scores in other's favor. The last input fell down the screen, and both players were ready to step on the correct arrow. As Ruri raised her foot to step, her other foot slipped by accident. Raku had reacted fast enough to catch her by her waist, which brought their bodies consciously closer. Miraculously, they had both managed to land their feet on the right step.

"You're a bit too close, Ichijo-kun." Ruri's face was flushed red. Whether it was from the exhausting game she just played or how close their faces were, no one could tell.

"Ah, sorry…" she got back on her feet before he let go of his arms around her. Raku's heart was beating fast. He placed his hand on his chest to feel not only his heart beating faster, but also stronger. He guessed it must be because he was out of shape that his body had to work harder to keep up with the game. Why else was his heart beating so much?

His attention was brought back to screen by Ruri pulling on his sleeve. The two stared at their scores, their numbers going up at a rapid speed. It slowed down over time, and the suspense was building up. In the end, only one had kept spinning.

"Ah, I won…!" Ruri's face lit up in surprise and joy.

"Amazing Ruri! It was your first time playing. How did you manage to beat me at my best song?" She flashed him a smug smirk and a thumbs up.

"I'm a swimmer, remember? My legs can handle this sort of thing easily." They collected their tickets and made their way towards the exchange counter with their cup full of their accumulated tickets. Ruri examined her options and only one managed to catch her eye. A small bear-shaped phone charm, who had an uncanny resemblance to Raku. She paid the clerk the appropriate amount of tickets and attained the cute little phone accessory. With the leftover tickets, they converted it into a small paper cheque to use for another day.

While walking to the exit of the arcade, Ruri had spotted a single token on the ground. "Lucky me." She said though she didn't know what she wanted to do with it. She was exhausted from the last game and didn't feel like playing another one. Raku thought about what one can do with one token and only one came to mind.

"The only thing around here that costs one token is the photo booth." He pointed to one standing alone at the center of the arcade. Ruri was surprised to hear him suggest it, but then again, he was only curing her curiosity. However, this gave her an idea; a mischievous one. The arcade's atmosphere and their competition had somehow revealed her small playful side.

"Then let's use it there." Ruri began walking towards the booth, which startled Raku. He told her that couples frequently used that booth to take pictures. She turned to him with a smug grin. "We're not a couple, so there's no worry." She proclaimed this boldly. Either she didn't care about the implications of going inside together with him, or she really wanted to act like a couple with him. The last possibility made Raku blush. "Just think of this as punishment."

"Punishment?"

"For losing." Raku was pulled through the curtain of the booth and sat himself down on the bench. While Ruri fed the last token into the machine and selected the specifications for the picture taking, Raku noticed that even now, she was still smiling like she was when she was playing or when she received the phone charm. He figured as long as she was enjoying herself, he'll go along with her demands.

"Please sit down on the bench. Position yourself within the camera's range and follow the instructions." Raku positioned himself on the bench slightly to one side to allow space for Ruri, but she had ducked outside of the camera's range. Ruri told him it was going to be a solo picture of just him. He was unsure as to why she would request a picture of just him but decided to go along with it. "Please make a 'silly' face."

Now he understood why. The countdown began, and Ruri urged him to do it. Before the countdown ended, Raku mustered the courage to make a fool of himself as he morphed his face. The camera took his photo and it displayed it on the large screen for both of them to see. Raku was embarrassed by how stupid he looked and buried his face in his hands while Ruri could barely contain her laughter. When he heard her tapping on the touch screen, he looked up to see her finger pressing a button.

"Allow editing?"

"Hmm? You didn't know? You can draw on pictures here. I wonder what I should draw on this one." She said with a sly smirk. He never knew she had a mischievous side like this. He wondered what brought this on. But besides that, he was more concerned about his pride here. He could barely at how dumb he looked in the last picture, but adding effects and Ruri's drawings on it would be unbearable. The countdown started again.

"Oh no, I'm not the only one that's going to look dumb here." He gently pulled Ruri inside the camera's range. It was sudden, and it caught her off guard that she wasn't able to regain her balance in time. Her body uncontrollably lurched forwards towards Raku, and to avoid hitting their heads, he tried to stop her face with his other hand. His palm pushed against her cheek, making her do an awkward face. In that split second, the scene had become a chaotic mess, but the booth didn't care.

"3, 2, 1. Say cheese!"

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 **Ooh boy, Ruri you Lil' mischievous girl you~. Was that a punishment? Or was that just an excuse to keep a picture of him? 0) I don't have much to add in the post-chapter notes, so look forward to the next chapter!**


	12. Jealousy

**Early release (if less than a month is considered early)! To respond to LuckySeven-Chomei's review: Welcome! Glad you're enjoying the story! Yes, I do agree Ruri seemed OOC in the last chapter, and that did kind of bother me in the process of writing this chapter. I didn't know whether to rewrite it to keep her in character or to just go along with it. After considering it for a full week, I decided to keep it as is for reasons I stated in the last chapter. But due to your comment, I think I know how far I should take this new side of hers while still keeping her in character, which is shown in this chapter. I hope this time Ruri isn't so OOC, but likable ^^. So thank you, and this goes to everyone else who has left me amazing constructive criticism and support~! Now, onto the chapter, enjoy!**

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With a photo reel in hand, Raku couldn't help but burst into small chuckles every time he glanced at it.

"Oh man, your face is priceless here, Miyamoto!"

"You're not one to talk either." She pulled out her own copy of the reel from her pocket. Their reels contained four photos: the two shots edited by both Ruri and Raku, and the other two were the default shots. It took some negotiating, but Raku had allowed Ruri to edit the first picture if she allowed him to edit the second. Weighing the pros and cons, she accepted his conditions.

Since leaving the arcade, Ruri had returned to her usual stoic façade. Maybe she was just going along with the flow and feel of the arcade, but Ruri had revealed sides of her that not even she was aware of. She wondered if she had always been that competitive. And her sudden boldness to invite Raku to take some photos with her under the guise of a punishment; Was Marika rubbing off on her? Nevertheless, her first time at an arcade was filled with fun memories. And to top it all off, she even got two mementos from it.

She slipped the reel back into the pocket of her jumper skirt. She needed to find a way to preserve it in her room without her mother being suspicious of it.

"You really made me work at the last game. Now, I'm hungry." He said, patting his stomach. "How about we grab something to eat? Same place as last time?"

"The one with the blueberry cheesecake?" Her eyes glimmered at the memory of the sweet and soft cake melting in her mouth. Raku couldn't help but smile at the contrast between her eyes and her face.

"That's the one." It looked like Ruri took the bait.

"It is close by, and I can't deny the food there is good. I don't see why not." Remembering the path from their last trip, the two made their way to the café. Although it was Raku's suggestion, it felt more or less like Ruri was leading the way.

Their entrance was greeted by a small bell. Just like last time, the café hosted a few customers. Despite its highly positive reviews, not many came by to try it out. They sat at a two-seated located near the store's windows, giving them a clear view of the mall's walkway, busied with crowds of people. Ruri was cautious at first, thinking about the risk of being seen by one of their friends. But the sweet smell of the café's bakery brought her mind to ease. They wanted to order something different from last time to explore the other selections. After some contemplation (and a bit more from Ruri), the two came to their decision. The berry and vanilla cream parfait for Ruri, and cookies and cream ice cream for Raku.

Ruri said she would pay for her own order, which brought Raku's wallet much relief. A new jacket and the tokens from the arcade really took its toll on him. They walked up to the counter to make their orders. When the female clerk noticed someone standing at the counter, she quickly straightened herself to look prim and proper for work. Upon seeing Raku, her mouth formed an o-shape.

"Oh! Welcome back! Haven't seen you around lately." It caught him by surprise that she remembered his face. Then again, it didn't seem as though the café got many customers, so it shouldn't have been hard to remember a few faces.

"You remember me?" Raku asked.

"Yup! I mean, spiky hair and sharp eyes, you got the whole delinquent look going for you, and so it's not easy to forget one walking into a sweets shop." She didn't mean any offense when she commented on his looks, and Raku was used to it. At the very least, she was probably one of those girls who lacked a filter and just spoke their mind freely. "You give off that 'I'm tough, but I have a sweet side' vibe, and I think it's cute." It was now clear that she definitely didn't have a filter for these kinds of things if she was able to flirt with a stranger whilst maintaining her bright smile.

"Haha, well, that's…" It was clear to Ruri that he got slightly flustered by what she said. She didn't know why, but seeing his dumb face over something so trivial ticked her off. A voice from the back of the kitchen yelled at a Shion to do her job, causing the clerk to stiffen. The two could guess that the free-spirited girl in front of them was named such.

"Oops, right-right! So, what are you having?" After Raku had told her his order, he moved a bit to the side to let Ruri say hers. The upfront appearance of Ruri had both surprised and ashamed Shion. "Ah! I'm sorry I didn't notice you there!" She bowed to emphasize her apology, and Ruri told her she didn't mind it. "It's probably because he's so eye-catching that I didn't see you." She pointed an accusing finger at Raku, which confused him on whether or not that was a compliment. Ruri could feel that she wasn't going to click with this girl for some reason if the small tinges of annoyance were any sign of that. With both their orders taken, Shion told them to take a seat and she would bring over their orders for them. Back at their table, Raku tried to start a conversation with Ruri, who didn't seem to be at the best of moods.

"She seems to be a nice person." The only responses he got from her were an 'uh-huh' and the stone cold gaze he hadn't seen in a while. Guessing that he had just made her mood worse, he decided to wait it out until her parfait arrived, the only thing that could probably cheer her up right now.

Meanwhile, Ruri tried to comprehend this sudden grumpiness of hers. So far, their outing had gone fairly well, enjoyable even. So why did her mood suddenly drop? It happened only after she told her order to Shion. Then gears clicked in her head. She arrived at a conclusion to her dilemma: deep down, she probably didn't want that berry and vanilla cream parfait and ordering it had upset her unconsciously.

"Here you go! Ladies first, the berry and vanilla cream parfait." Shion lowered the parfait down onto the table. Ruri's mood had clearly gone up as soon as her eyes landed on the fluffy white, just as Raku had predicted. "And for the gentleman, his cookies, and cream ice cream." They thanked her for her services before she went back to her post to deal with other customers, if, by chance, any did come.

Since Ruri seemed chipper, Raku felt like it was safe to start up another conversation with Ruri. Picking a topic they would both be interested in, he began with how far he had gotten in his readings. Sweets in one hand, a conversation about literature, and with her love interest no less, Ruri couldn't be any more content with how their date turned out. Losing themselves in flavor and words, the two had lost track of time as well, not knowing and not caring how long they stayed in the café.

The longer they stayed, the closer Ruri's spoon grew to the bottom of her cup. "And that's why I don't recommend reading two novels at once. It slows you down and you risk mixing up their plots and characters. So either focus on 'Blind Cupid's Arrow' or 'Lost in Oceanic Eyes'". As she finished her sentence, she took a blind scoop of her parfait, only to be surprised that there was only about a quarter of it left in her cup. Her eyes gazed at Raku's cup, which still had a bit more over half of it left.

'Lost in Oceanic Eyes' was the latest novel Raku had bought at the mall during Onodera's birthday. He had already read through a fair bit of it, but when he borrowed another novel from Ruri the other day, he postponed reading one for the other. Now he had to pick which one to completely devote himself to. After thinking for a bit, considering many factors, he had made up his mind.

"Yeah, then I think I'd want to finish the book you gave me first. I mean, I can't go wrong with your suggestions, can I?"

"Exactly." Raku had an inkling feeling that he was experiencing déjà vu. It was unmistakable that Ruri was eyeing his cup like a predator would eye its prey. It didn't take long for her to go in for the kill. "So I suggest you let me have a taste of your-" Her spoon, which was so close to the opening of his cup, was suddenly deflected by another spoon. Raku's hand had taken a fencing stance, prepared to defend his ice cream.

"En Garde." He said with a smirk, Ruri's eyes grew more determined. Each time she tried to dip her spoon in his cup, even for just a small spoonful of his treasure, she would be met with a clang of metal. If Ruri's thrusts were fast, his parries were even faster. She retreated her spoon, giving both of them time to talk. "Giving up already?" He said in a teasing manner. Ruri's eyes quickly shifted from his cup to the window beside them, widening in surprise.

"Eh? Onodera?" Raku, hearing his crush's name, glanced in the same direction, only to realize he had fallen for the oldest trick in the book. By the time he turned back to his lunch buddy, her eyes were now closed in pure bliss, a sign that he was too late. Although she had finally gotten a piece of his ice cream, she couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed that hearing Onodera's name made him react like that. Then again, it was expected of him. After all, he did hold an infatuation for her. Ruri then realized the reason why she was so annoyed by this and earlier with Raku's interaction with the clerk.

"Oh, Shu!" Raku broke Ruri's train of thought. He was looking out the same window, but Ruri noticed the spoon in his hand and became cautious. She said she wasn't falling for the same trick and instead turned the other way, covering the top of her cup with her hand. She heard knocking on the window, but she remained adamant on not falling for her own trick. However, when she caught sight of both his hands on the table, the knocking on the window filled her with crippling fear. Slowly, her head turned towards the mirror, meeting eye-to-eye with a certain bespectacled, blonde boy. It was really none other than Shu, with his signature cat-like grin.

Raku signaled for Shu to come in. Even with Shu out of sight in the window, Ruri held a frozen dead expression. He had moved closer to the window to give Shu some space to sit. Raku explained what he and Ruri were doing at the mall. With his curiosity satisfied, Shu gave Raku an understanding smile. He then turned to look at Ruri, whose attempt at a calm demeanor was slowly being picked away by her inner panic. Having suspicions of her feelings towards his best friend, he didn't want to get in the way of what he would call their date. As he prepared to leave the café, a waitress had come to their table.

"Oh, you're friends with him?" Shion pointed to Shu. She immediately caught his eyes; she was quite an attractive young woman, and her waitress uniform made her irresistible to Shu.

"Yup, best of, in fact." He wrapped his arms around Raku to emphasize his point. "How do you know Raku?"

"He was a customer a while back. It's hard to forget such an interesting face." Shu could see that Raku was getting flustered by her compliments. He couldn't believe how weak his friend was to such things. On the other hand, he noticed Ruri trying to suppress her slight dislike to Shion's overly friendly approach to Raku. He thought it was cute that even she was susceptible to jealousy, and even more surprising that it was only with Raku that she showed that part of herself. Guess she wasn't so different from other girls.

Shu stood up from his seat, catching everyone's attention. "I'm feeling kind of thirsty, so maybe I'll order a sweet drink." Shion said that she was on break right now, so he'll have to order from her uncle. "Alright, I'll find a seat somewhere over there." He pointed to a two-seat table somewhere far off in the café. Raku told him he could just stay with him and Ruri. Both Shu and Ruri nearly popped a vein at how dense he was. "C'mon Raku, don't ruin the opportunity~." He was confused by what Shu meant by this. Shu left the table and faced Shion. "Also, you're on break, right? Mind joining me for a bit?"

"Sure! You've got fifteen minutes with me."

"That's enough for me." He said, followed by a warm laugh. They bid their farewell to Raku and Ruri as the two walked off to their table. Shu looked back at the pair and gave them a wink, each one interpreting it differently.

"That Shu, he only wanted to be alone with her." He smirked at his friend, oblivious to his actual goal. Ruri, on the other hand, saw what he was trying to do. She thought that this was what Onodera probably felt like whenever Ruri helped her and Raku spend some time together: grateful. With the two alone once again, she felt a sense of relief. Though she didn't know whether or not she should thank Shu or let him think his assumptions were wrong. She'll leave that for another day, she wanted to be in the moment for now.

After finishing their lunch, they gave their regards to Shu and Shion, who were apparently having a lively conversation. With their personalities, it was clear that they would click in one way or another. Shu told them he was going to stay for a bit longer, at least until Shion's break was over. Giving him a thumbs up as a sign of good luck in his conquest, Raku and Ruri left the store.

"Don't you think they make a cute couple, Ruri?" She looked through the café window to see them fighting over the last few sips of whatever Shu ordered. She could almost see her and Raku in that same exact situation. Usually, she would say something to mock the annoying blonde, but today, she thought maybe she owed him this much at least.

"I guess." It had gotten a bit late, and the two agreed that it was time to head home. The two got on the same bus, headed in the same direction as their shared neighborhood. The ride was going to take approximately 20 minutes before their stop, and the day had been exhausting for Ruri, yet enjoyable. As she began to doze off, her limp body fell onto Raku's arm. By the time Raku noticed, she was already fast asleep. He made a mental note that Ruri was a fast sleeper.

The sun had set close to the horizon, coloring the sky in a beautiful bright red. He took another look at his sleeping partner, only to be awed by how she looked with the sunset lights shone on her. Her lips glistened, indicating she must have worn lipgloss. The red rays bounced off the jewel on her hairpin, dazzling him. And for the second time that day, he couldn't help but think of how cute she looked.

 _"I got to see more sides of you today. Didn't expect you to be so competitive over arcade games. And a jokester too."_ He looked down at her phone peeking out of her jumper pocket. The small phone charm jingled with the bus. _"…A-And… that side too."_ He lightly blushed at this thought.

The bus abruptly shook up and down, causing Ruri to shift from her comfortable position. Being a deep sleep, this didn't wake her. Still asleep, she gently tugged on his sleeve to correct her pose. Making sure she was still asleep, he was surprised at how a tugging arm could increase someone's appeal by so much. This time, he couldn't help by say it clearly.

 _"…Cute."_

 ** _~!~_**

 **Looks like Shu's become Ruri's wingman now xD And he got lunch with Shion, a new addition to the OC crew. She started off as just a plot device for this chapter, but then Shu came into the scene, and I thought their personalities kind of clicked, so that scene happened. Can't wait to see if I'll use her for future chapters or not. So now that Ruri's accepted her feelings for Raku, she's finally felt a little emotion called jealousy. Will this push her forward, or drag her back? We'll see quite soon~ There's maybe one or two more chapters left until this arc ends, so look forward to those**

 **HTML Bug Fix: Props to Akane Minori for warning me about the HTML bug. I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I didn't read the review on my e-mail. Thanks, you saved the chapter xD!**


	13. Friendship

**_"Quick! Before this month ends, I need to post a new chapter!"_** **That was going through my mind as I wrote this chapter. Hallo, tis me! What took this chapter so long was because I wrote two versions of it. The first one focused mainly on Raku and Ruri. But I read a review from KAMINARI saying that because the way I write is very plot-focused, it felt as if the relationship between Raku and Ruri is progressing too fast. So in the second version, which is this one, I decided to give the RakuxRuri moments I love so much a break and give Onodera some love. This version explores the relationship between Ruri and Onodera, as well as allowing me to experiment a bit with Onodera's I hope you all enjoy this chapter even if it doesn't have many RakuxRuri moments, and since I'm new to writing out Onodera, I'd love to hear how you all think I did writing her. So with the end of the 'Second Date' arc, the next one will be the 'School Retreat' arc! Enjoy the womance (bromance for girls?)!**

 **~!~**

A faint buzzing came from Ruri's pocket, waking her up from her short nap. Sleepily, she took out her phone and read the text message that came with it.

 _"Ruri, since you're already outside, could I ask you to buy some groceries for dinner tonight? I heard there's a sale going on at the local food market right now."_ The sender was from Saori, her mom. Before Ruri could respond back, Saori sent another message. _"I hope I'm not intruding on your date, fufu~! You can bring him over for dinner if you want ;3"_ As much as Ruri loved her mother, Saori never failed to get on her daughter's nerves. Saori was as motherly as she was a tease, always trying to get a cute reaction out of her daughter. Ruri was tempted to outright reject her mother's request for sending that last part, though she chose not to. She responded with a simple 'Alright. And maybe", thinking about her mother's disappointed face over such a straight answer. Moments later, she received another text: the to-buy list.

She put her phone back into her pocket and sat straight up on her seat. She looked to her side to see Raku had fallen asleep as well, leaning his head against the window. She cursed herself for falling asleep on Raku once again. She had to rid her habit of falling asleep too easily, and on people no less. She looked out the window to see that they were getting close to their bus stop. She leaned close to Raku's face and started poking his face. Raku asked groggily what was happening, being suddenly woken up by the feel of something pushing his cheeks.

Ruri told him that they were almost at their stop. He thanked her in a sleepy voice, whilst rubbing his eyes open. He stretched his body and let out a yawn.

"Sounds like you slept like a log."

"And you didn't?" Raku cheekily replied. Ruri gave him a light punch on the arm, a way for her to say 'touché' without admitting it. After checking that they hadn't forgotten anything on the bus, the two got off at their stop. The two walked to the first cross-road, only for Raku to wait in one direction and Ruri at the perpendicular direction. She explained that her mom asked her to buy some ingredients on the way home from the market. The walk signal was about to turn green, so Ruri walked a bit closer to the walking path.

"Ah, alright then. It's getting dark soon, so don't stay out too late, okay?" The two shared their farewells. With that, the two went their own ways. Upon arriving at the store, a banner was hung on the front of the store. 'Up to 60% off on all items!' it read. Ruri's eyes glimmered at the thought of how much money she'd be able to save from this sale. With a grocery basket in hand, she didn't waste time in getting the things she needed. But with how cheap everything was, Ruri started wondering if buying two instead of one was worth it, or if something extra could be bought with the spare money. In the end, she ended up buying a bit more than what she had planned, but all within her budget, so she was fine with the outcome. But as soon as she tried carrying the bags, she instantly regretted it.

Ruri underestimated the weight of the groceries and her stamina to carry them all the way back home. She didn't walk far before needing to take a break and allow blood to circulate in her hands. While taking a break at the side of the road, a familiar, soft voice rang out from behind her.

"Ruri-chan! Good evening!" A girl with smooth brown hair with the sides pinned back waved her arms up in the air. An aura of gentleness surrounded her.

"Onodera. What are you doing around here?" Ruri was surprised to see her friend around the area since she lived farther from there. She explained that she just came from the same grocery as Ruri, and when she saw her friend struggling with the bags, she quickly ran over to help her. Onodera was only carrying a single bag with not much inside it, so Ruri gratefully took her assistance and handed her one of the lighter bags. "What did you buy from the sale?"

Onodera opened her bag slightly to show just how many sweets she had bought. "We have that retreat coming up for school soon, right? I thought, with the sale going on, I could start stocking up on snacks." Ruri nearly forgot about the school retreat next-next week. Although there's still a lot of time to prepare for it, Ruri always preferred to do it early.

"I hope we sit next to each other on the bus and share the same room as the other girls."

"Me too." The two shared a smile, one that they often exchanged when the two best friends were alone. Aside from Raku, it was Onodera who could make the blank-faced Ruri crack a smile. The two girls conversed the time away, almost not realizing they were already in front of Ruri's home. "You want to join us for dinner?"

Onodera excitingly accepted, always happy to spend more time with her best friend. The two walked into the hallway, taking off their shoes before entering the living room. "Pardon the intrusion." She politely said to Ruri and to anyone that might be at home."

Saori got up from the kotatsu in front of the TV and walked into the hallway to greet Onodera, who returned the greeting almost twice as polite. She and Onodera's mother were good friends, which lead to Onodera and Ruri becoming friends as well at a young age. She told Onodera no need to be so formal with her since she could see the young girl almost like a second daughter. Saori looked on behind the two girls in search of a certain boy.

"Huh? Where's Raku? I thought he would have gone with you after your-!" Ruri had shoved one of her bags – and "coincidentally", the heaviest one – onto her mother's arms.

"Mom, I've got the ingredients you asked for." She said in the most neutral-grave voice she could muster. "How about we do some catching up in my room." Saori could sense the aura around her daughter, and it wasn't a very welcoming one. She knew one way or another that she best keep quiet about Raku and their supposed date. Then it clicked in her head. "Ooh! Yes, yes. Forget whatever nonsense I just spouted, enjoy yourselves. My lips are sealed~!"

Ruri felt like her mother was misunderstanding something, but that was better than her revealing everything. Ruri and Onodera walked up to Ruri's room. Being both girls, Ruri didn't mind changing in front of her friend. They talked as Ruri stripped out of her jumper skirt.

"So, Ruri, about what your mother mentioned; with Ichijō-kun." She knew this was coming, and luckily for her, she prepared a quick answer.

"Oh, that. He just asked me to help him pick out a jacket. Honestly, even when it comes to clothes, he's hopeless. That's pretty much the only thing worth mentioning from our outing." She intentionally left out the arcade and the lunch-date, which would have aroused suspicion and perhaps the tension between the friends. She was already aware of Onodera's infatuation with Raku, so she had to choose her words wisely around her. It wasn't like she was keeping her meetings with Raku a secret, but she couldn't let the girls, especially Onodera, think that she was a rival. Though, she wasn't competing for his feelings. But still, the fact remained that she and Onodera shared the same feelings, and that was something she had to keep to herself, even from her best friend.

"Oh, I see! I guess he can be a bit dense about those sort of things, huh?" Dense was an understatement, Ruri thought. "But why did he ask you? Why not Shu? I thought they would be closer?"

"I owed him a favor, and I guess he didn't want to keep it over my head too long, so he gave me something easy to do."

"That does sound like something he would do." Onodera turned her focus on Ruri's phone that laid on the bed and noticed the small phone charm that hung from it. The small bear reminded her of the crush. She rested her head on the arm and she gazed at it. "He really is a kind person, huh?" She said in a dreamy voice, almost lost in her thoughts of Raku.

"Yeah, I guess." Unnoticed by Onodera, there was a tint of guilt in Ruri's voice. She asked herself if she really deserved his kindness more than Onodera did. This past month, a lot had happened between Ruri and Raku, and even Ruri was surprised by how suddenly she fell for him. She wondered if perhaps these feelings were nothing but a childish crush, eventually fading away. _"If so, maybe that'd be for the better."_ After changing into her pajamas, she sat on the ground with Onodera.

Onodera mentioned how the phone charm Ruri had an uncanny resemblance to Raku. This brought Ruri's attention to the charm hanging on her phone.

She denied it; however, that was a lie. In fact, the resemblance was one of the first things she noticed about it when she got it from him after all. She teased her meek friend, asking if she was starting to see Raku in everything. With a blushing red face, Onodera insisted that she wasn't. Despite being best of friends, it still embarrassed Onodera when Ruri would bring up her crush. Onodera already knows that Ruri had been her wingman since they entered the same high school, and she couldn't thank her enough for her support. Though, she felt like her shyness often got in the way of Ruri's schemes to get her and Raku together. She hoped someday she can overcome that part of her, and to also repay Ruri for all that she'd done.

"Well, whatever," Ruri laid on her side comfortably on the ground. "You'll probably be seeing him a lot more at the camp. The earlier to confess to him on the trip, the more time you'll be able to spend time together with him afterward." Despite her friend's encouragement and support, Onodera couldn't muster the courage to go through with some of Ruri's bolder schemes. She said that she might not be able to do so during the trip. "If I push you enough, maybe you can." She smiled at her friend, who was now pouting and playfully hitting her. Even if she was trying to help, Onodera sometimes found Ruri to be a bit too aggressive or pushy in her schemes. Nonetheless, a joke was a joke, and the two shared a laugh later at it.

"When Ruri ever falls for someone, I'll be just as pushy as you to get you two together." She smiled smugly, almost as if claiming victory with that one sentence.

"Sure, sure. I'll be counting on you if that ever happens." She said in a sarcastic, skeptical tone. However, being the optimist she was, Onodera didn't notice this and instead rejoiced at her friend giving her permission to meddle in her possible romantic affairs, for the better, of course. They continued chatting about many other things. During their talk, which somehow led to the history of Japanese sweets, Ruri's phone began to vibrate. Being closer to it, Onodera picked it up off the bed and handed it over to Ruri. Luckily, Onodera wasn't curious enough to peek at the screen; otherwise, she would have seen who the caller was.

 _"Ichijō-kun? Why is he calling now? Ah, but this could work."_ Placing the phone face down and pretending to not have seen who was calling, she stood up from the ground and headed for the door. "I have to go check if dinner is ready. Could you answer that for me and keep them on call for me until I get back?"

"Eh?! B-But what if it's someone I don't know?!" Onodera was confused by the situation she was forced into.

Ruri said that the only people who knew her phone number were her friends (all of which Onodera already knew) and relatives. In the case that the caller was a stranger, it was fine to just not answer. Without letting Onodera mutter another word, Ruri disappeared from behind the door, the sound of her footsteps getting lighter. With no choice but to follow Ruri's orders, Onodera slowly picked it up and, forgetting to look at the caller ID, pressed the first green button she saw.

"H-Hello? Who is this?"

"O-O-Onodera?!" A shocked male voice came from the phone's speakers. Onodera instantly recognized this voice and fumbled around with the phone in a panic. Luckily, she caught the phone without accidentally hanging up.

"I-Ichijō-kun! H-How are you?" Onodera held the phone tightly against her ear. She couldn't help but enjoy how close Raku's voice was to her. It almost felt like he was whispering right in her ear.

"Ah! I'm good, thanks. Why do you have Ruri's phone?" After Onodera explained to him the events that led to her staying over at Ruri's house for dinner, she asked why he was calling her at this time. "It's gotten pretty dark outside, so I was wondering if Ruri got home safely. I'm glad she did."

"I see. I heard you asked Ruri to help you pick out a jacket."

"Oh yeah, I did. I can't complain, Ruri was right when she said I had horrible fashion sense." The two laughed at this, knowing full well that their bespectacled friend was the type to casually say those things.

"Really? I don't think you look that bad…" A slight pause occurred after that comment. It took both of them a moment to process just what had been said. 'Eh?' was all Raku said from his side, in disbelief of what he had just heard. Onodera was, at this point, in a huge state of embarrassment; her heart beating crazy fast. She tried to reason her way out of what she had just said, saying she meant it towards his fashion sense and not him directly, but also somewhat backtracking on her words and saying she didn't consider him ugly or unattractive, only to backtrack on those words as well, throwing herself into an endless loop.

 _"This is turning out better than I expected."_ Ruri thought to herself, as she sat behind the closed door, back placed against it and listening to the ensuing chaos within her room. She had hoped this situation would have created some romantic tension between the two. Knowing her friend well, Ruri was sure Onodera would mess up somewhere along their call and create that tension herself. It felt good to Ruri when things went according to plan.

Raku was also flabbergasted by what he had just heard. Hearing Onodera say she didn't find him unattractive – which he, as a teenager in love, interpreted as her calling him attractive – made him nearly jump off his bed in joy. After the situation had calmed down, the two resumed their earlier conversation.

"A-Anyways, after we picked out a jacket we were both happy with, we had some time to spare, so we played a bit at the arcade." Onodera was caught off by this.

 _"Ruri didn't mention this to her earlier. Was she trying to hide it from me? No way, why would she? She must have her reasons. I can't be suspecting things of her, not over something like this."_ Deep in thought, she didn't realize Raku calling out to her until he had to yell a bit over the phone. "O-Oh! Sorry, I had to get something. Umm, how was it?" Raku then went through all the things he and Ruri did at the arcade, even the part when she forced him into a photo booth just so she could draw on his face. "Really? Sounds like you two had fun. I'm glad."

"Haha, yeah, I did." Raku glanced at his clock and saw that it was almost time to prepare dinner for his family. "Oh, I have to go now, let Miyamoto-san know I called."

"Okay, good night Ichi-."

"Wait, before we go, you know about the retreat two weeks from now right?"

"Yes? What about it?"

"L-Let's…" He was stuttering, embarrassed at what he was about to say next, but he felt like now was the perfect time to do so "…hope we ride the same bus!" Onodera blushed at his words. He was hoping they would be together on the same bus. But just the same bus wasn't enough for her.

"Y-Yes! I… Let's hope we also sit b-bes-… close to each other!" The two of them were reduced to a mumbling mess, unable to muster any more courage than being able to ask the other to be together on the bus ride. Any more than this and Onodera felt like her heart might burst out any moment. After saying goodnight to each other, the call ended, leaving the two teenagers feeling both empty and satisfied for the night. Alone in the room, Onodera could finally relax, releasing all her pent up stress and anxiety in the form of steam. She let out a heavy sigh. "Ahh~, that was so nerve-wracking! Where's Ruri-chan when I need her? I should go check on her downstairs. She's been gone for a while now."

Almost as if by queue, the door opened to Ruri carrying two plates of curry. She pretended to have just arrived, acting as if she hadn't heard their whole conversation. Ruri apologized for the long wait and asked who the caller was. Onodera told her it was just Raku wanting to make sure Ruri got home safely. Knowing the reason behind it, Ruri couldn't help but feel slightly happy.

Ruri asked if they talked about anything else. Although she'd been eavesdropping on them since the beginning, she had to make it believable that she was indeed downstairs. Onodera thought back to what Raku revealed earlier, how he and Ruri went to the arcade. She was curious as to why Ruri didn't tell her about it. Light suspicions grew within her, but she knew that asking it now was inappropriate timing. She would just ask her later when the atmosphere is different.

Instead, Onodera shared how Raku wanted to be on the same bus as her, which earned Raku a condescending comment from Ruri for being such a wuss. She also told Ruri how she was brave enough to share her desire to sit close to Raku on the bus. Being the meek girl she was, even a recollection of such a proposal was enough to curl up in embarrassment. Ruri smiled at her friend's efforts, no matter how small they might be. She was just glad to see Onodera doing what she can to attain happiness.

Ruri gave a thumbs up, saying she was rooting for the same outcome. Onodera remembered that she told Ruri earlier that she wanted to sit next to her on the bus. Although Raku held a special place in her heart, Onodera could never replace Ruri. So Onodera told Ruri that, just as she promised earlier, she would choose to sit beside Ruri over Raku.

"Heh~? So you'd stop me if we did sit beside each other and I asked to switch places with Ichijō-kun?" She teased her once more. This put Onodera in inner conflict. She would love to sit beside Raku for the rest of the ride to and from, but she didn't want to sacrifice Ruri for that. This turmoil was evident on her face, so Ruri relieved her of the pressure of deciding. "Just teasing. Though, if there was a chance for you two to get closer, I wouldn't mind the switch." Not wanting to neglect their food any longer, Ruri gave her thanks for the meal and began eating her warm food.

Onodera couldn't believe it. Not at Ruri willing to go that far for her, but for her doubting Ruri's intentions earlier. Perhaps she just didn't think much of the arcade, so Ruri didn't feel the need to reveal that part of her and Raku's outing. Onodera felt terribly guilty for letting such a trivial thing waver her trust in her friend, and by pure instinct, she lunged at Ruri and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Ruri-chan~! I'm sorry!" Ruri was being shaken back and forth, making it difficult for her to place her spoon in her mouth.

"W-What? I said it was just a joke, right? No need to feel that bad about it. Hurry, our food's getting cold!" With Onodera calmed down and her tears wiped away, the two could finally enjoy their meal. Like how most meals with Ruri went, it was silent, allowing them both to fully admire the taste of the curry Saori had worked hard on. In the middle of their meal, Onodera glanced at Ruri, who was quietly eating. She thought back to the numerous times she had been assisted by Ruri, and how grateful she was to have her as a friend.

"Thanks for always being there for me, Ruri-chan" Ruri lowered her utensils to give a proper response.

"Hm? Well, of course, we're friends." She raised her spoon as if to declare a toast. "Let's both do our best for one another, ok?" She welcomed Onodera with a smile. Onodera gave an affirmative hum as she raised her spoon as well. The two clinked their spoons before resuming their meal.

 _"Right. No matter what, I'm going to support you all the way, Onodera."_

 **~!~**

 **With the month of December comes Exams Season. So that means three things. One, I most likely won't be uploading a new chapter this month. I am still a student, after all. Two, I wish all my fans and readers who have exams good luck on theirs! And last but not least, Three... My birthday is tomorrow, Dec 1st! w)b Also, I may or may not post a Christmas special for this fanfic, depending on how soon my exams end and how fast I can write it before Christmas. If I do manage to, do not treat it as canon, treat it as a short one-shot since it won't fit into the main story chronologically. With that said, let's all do our best this month!**


	14. First Day

**Hello everyone! I'm finally back and writing. First and foremost, my deepest apologies for going on a two-month break. December was exams month, so that was expected. Unfortunately, I was unable to post neither a Christmas nor New Year special. Now, January was simply a bad case of another writer's block. I tried many methods to get rid of it, and as each method failed, as more days passed by, the more stressed I got over not posting a new chapter. The more stressed I got, the less creative I got with story ideas and it became a terrible cycle. But finally, after a week of this arc's story planning, I got around to finishing the first chapter of the school lodge arc. I'm glad to be back into the flow of writing and to see that, even in my hiatus, I was still getting support from you all. So thank you all for staying with me on this lovely fanfic! So without further delay, enjoy this chapter to it's fullest extent!**

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It was the day of the school lodge trip, and the weather was kind enough to be welcoming to the students. Their bus had finally arrived at the main entrance of the lodge. Its door swung open, allowing numerous students to enjoy the warmth of the sun outside.

"Woah! This place is huge! I wasn't expecting the lodge to be this massive!" Chitoge spoke out as soon as she caught sight of the lodge, which was huge enough to be mistaken for a mansion. It was bigger than the one they celebrated Onodera's birthday at.

"No kidding." Raku followed right behind his 'girlfriend', sharing the same sentiment. They both waited at an empty spot amongst the crowd of students for their other friends. It didn't take long for the bus to be emptied, and soon, the seven friends were reunited once more. A few complained about the rough ride, and some simply slept through it.

Once all the students were evacuated from the bus, the lodge leader welcomed them all and acted as their tour guide for the lodge. Once the students were accustomed to the layout, the girls and boys were separated to opposite sides of the lodge. The lodge housed a mix of 2-person and 3-person rooms.

"Aren't we lucky, Raku? We get a two-person room all to ourselves!" Shu said as he dropped his bag near the window and plummeted on top of a bed, which he claimed to be his own from then on. Raku was just as excited as he was but was more collected than his hyper friend. He started unpacking his stuff and organizing it in the drawers they were given.

"Yeah, but we have to unpack soon. There's a meeting later in the meeting hall, and it mandatory." He reminded his friend, which got Shu straight on his feet and doing the same as Raku.

The meeting was just a simple overview of the events and responsibilities the students have over the two days they were there. Chores such as clean up and kitchen work were the students', and in the next two days, the teachers and lodge leaders had a few fun activities for them to do. After the meeting was over, the students were free to do whatever they wished within the lounge until the first activity. Some decided to enter the indoor bathhouse, some checked out the recreation center, but many just wanted to rest for a bit in either the main hall or their rooms.

Onodera, Ruri, and Marika wanted to bathe first before doing anything else, while Chitoge and Tsugumi went to check out the recreation center. Matching the size of the lodge, the indoor baths were also huge. It could fit all the female students inside and still have enough room for more. After bathing, the girls eased themselves into the hot water by first dipping their toes, and then slowly entering the pool. Since it was only the three of them in the bathhouse, it felt as if they had reserved it for themselves.

Marika started daydreaming of the times she could spend with Raku during the trip, and she kept none of these to herself. "Ah~, maybe we'll end up as partners during the test of courage. Then some scary monster attacks us and Raku will come to my rescue like a prince. Maybe there's a way I can bribe the teachers to use something extra scary when it's our turn." This imagery allowed Onodera to imagine Raku princess carrying her to safety. She became red-faced at this and Marika noticed her love rival's face, knowing full well what she was thinking. "Oh? Were you hoping for the same thing too, Onodera-sama?"

"W-What!? No, that's not it!" She splashed around the pool, flailing her arms in front to deny it. But Marika was one of the few girls in the harem to acknowledge that she had rivals, and one of them was Onodera. Not that she particularly minded, she was confident in herself to win in the end, so she didn't mind talking about the other's 'futile' attempts. In a way, she enjoyed the idea of a competition.

"So, you wouldn't want it to happen, you say?"

"W-Well… if it happens, it happens, I guess…" She chuckled unsurely of her answer.

"Kosaki-san, one should not be so passive in the chase for romance. A lady in love must wish, dream, and hope that her life plays out like a romantic fairy-tale!" She spoke audaciously. She turned to Ruri, who had been silently listening to the conversation. "Miyamoto-sama, wouldn't you agree? How would act in such an event with the man of your dreams?" Ruri thought about her answer carefully, like most introverts would. After a moment's pause, she gave her answer.

"I doubt something like school staff in Halloween costumes would scare me in the slightest." Marika thought how unfeminine her response was. "So, don't expect me to cling to someone unreliable like Ichijo-kun. He's more into the vulnerable type anyways." She dipped herself lower into the pool, up to her nose. Marika processed Ruri's answer in her head for a few seconds before lighting up with an excited smile.

"Eh~, I didn't know you had eyes for Raku-sama, as well." This caught Ruri off guard as she started coughing some of the water she had accidentally swallowed.

"W-When did I say such a thing?"

"I did ask you to imagine it with the man of your dream. Not once did I mention Raku-sama."

"I was just going along with his example because you two were doing the same. I thought I should make my answer at least somewhat relatable." She tried covering up her mistake, but it didn't seem like Marika was convinced enough. Though she wasn't as sharp as Ruri or Shu, she still had an eye for love-struck girls. She was even able to tell that Tsugumi had grown a slight crush on Raku, so it wouldn't be hard to believe if she could do the same to Ruri. Ruri didn't want to take that risk if it meant Onodera finding out and sabotaging all that she had worked for. Ruri got up from the bath with her towel and tried her best to face away from Marika. "I think I've stayed too long in the pool. I'll be going now." As Ruri left the bathhouse in her robe, Onodera had a disappointed look on her face.

"Marika-chan, I don't know if you were joking or not, but I think it got to Ruri-chan." Marika noticed the sullen look and knew she was serious. "As far as I've known her, she's never been interested in romance and the like. I think teasing her about those things, especially when it involves a friend, makes her somewhat uncomfortable."

"Is that so…" Marika looked down at her reflection in the pool and reflected on her actions. "Perhaps I may have had a lapse in judgment." She got up from the water and left the pool as she dried herself. "I shall apologize to Miyamoto-sama now. Thank you, Onodera. Excuse me." With Marika gone, Onodera was left alone in the bathhouse. She hugged her legs close to her chest, thinking about what she had just done. The act itself was nothing bad, she really did think that Ruri was affected by what Marika said. But though she did it with Ruri in mind, did she really do it for her sake? Or for herself?

 _"_ _No, what am I thinking? Of course, it was for Ruri-chan. What would it benefit me anyways?"_ It was finally her turn to leave. She got her answer, so she pushed the question to the back of her mind, wanting to forget it even crossed her.

Marika had caught up to Ruri, who was reading a book inside the dorm. She apologized for her insensitivity and Ruri had forgiven her, knowing that she meant no malice behind it. Since there was still time before the first activity, Marika asked Ruri if she wanted to accompany her to the recreation center; a way to deepen their bond, as she put it. With nothing else to do besides read her book, she accepted the invitation. When they entered the recreation room, which was, by no surprise, filled with fun activities and exercise machines, they spotted Raku and Shu in a game of table tennis. Almost dragging Ruri along with her, Marika walked up to the two and asked if they could have a paired match. The two males didn't mind, and by rock-paper-scissors, the teams were set: Raku with Marika, and Shu with Ruri.

The first few times, Marika was having difficulty with the handling and swinging of the paddle. She explained that this was her first time playing table tennis due to her poor health during her childhood. Marika asked Raku if he could give her some tips. Being the dense person that he was, he positioned himself behind her and gently grasped her hand, teaching her how to properly hold the paddle. From the proximity of the two shared, Raku couldn't help but smell the sweet shampoo she had applied in the bath before arriving. Just from his face alone, anyone could tell that Marika's seduction was working, and she was enjoying every bit of his touch.

The game resume once Raku felt like she had gotten used to the handle and movement of the paddle. Though as soon a Raku served the first ball, he was quickly smacked between the eyes with a fastball. The ball rolled away, so Raku tried to catch it while Marika worryingly followed behind to make sure his face was okay. Shu leaned closer to Ruri and whispered into her ears with a smirk.

"You know, just because she's your rival here, too, doesn't mean you can take your anger out on him." He noticed her grip was tighter than earlier, so he knew there was some emotion behind that smash.

"What~?" She elongated her speech with a sarcastic, deadpan tone. "Would there be anything else she would be my rival in?"

"Dunno." She knew long ago that he was suspicious of her feelings towards Raku. Thinking back to the last outing she had with Raku, it was Shu who got her and Raku some privacy in the café under his assumption that she wanted to treat it like a date. Since then, she had never bothered to correct him on it. It appeared that he had no intention of sharing his suspicions with anyone else, so she didn't have to worry about that spreading to the other girls, and so, didn't bother with letting him think otherwise.

The other duo had finally returned, and after a few games, it was clear that they had no chance in defeating Ruri and Shu. Shu saw that he and Ruri were far quicker and more experienced in the game than Raku and Marika combined. So, Shu proposed a solution to balance the teams somewhat: they switch teammates. Raku was then paired with Ruri and Shu with Marika.

After observing Marika play beside him for a few times, Shu noted the flaw with Marika's playstyle. He theorized that Marika would probably be better with the penhold grip, as opposed to the shakehands grip Raku taught her. When asked why he thought so, he said, "Wouldn't that grip match her elegant aura more?" At first, everyone, even Marika, thought it was an idiotic idea. But when he persuaded Marika to use that grip instead and taught her how to, there was an immediate boost to her performance. She was managing to serve and respond a lot more than before. Needless to say, she was having way more fun. While Shu was giving Marika a few more pointers on how to improve, Raku tapped on Ruri's shoulder to gain her attention.

"Hey, Miyamoto-san" She looked at her partner, who looked fired up. It was obvious what the fire in his eyes meant, and it even managed to start a small flame in hers. "Let's say we show them how we roll."

"Hmph." She steadied herself and centered her paddle in front of her. "You think you can keep up?"

"I managed to in the arcade, didn't I?" The two shared a smirk, thinking back to the fun they had then.

"Looks like they're getting serious, Marika-san. Let's show them what you learned." He gave a confident look at her. She nodded, ready to show her beloved Raku just how much she had improved. She thought about the praising she would get from him if she won, which filled her up with even more determination. With the two sides prepared, an intense match ensued.

Marika was a fast learner, being able to apply all that Shu taught her in the match. Even Raku was impressed that someone new to the sport would be able to catch up to him, who had played it a few times in the past. Both sides gave their all, hitting the ping pong ball back and forth repeatedly. Shu was in synch with Marika as much as Ruri was with Raku. It came to the last point, both sides had managed to tie just one point short of victory. It was Marika's serve, but before she started the final match, she had a few words to share.

"When I win this," forgetting the fact that she had a partner, but Shu didn't seem to mind, "Raku-sama will definitely praise me! Here I go!" She gave one swift serve, bouncing the ball over the net so fast that Raku barely managed to react to it. That serve was stronger than all the other ones she had given prior. Still, he returned it and the game went from there. With victory so close, everyone was tense, and the competitive spirit was strong in the room. But soon, the match soon became an endurance game. Since both sides weren't giving the ball any room to escape, it became a waiting game for who would tire out first. Obviously, Marika, the newest and weakest one, and her performance started to degrade before anyone else. When Ruri noticed the amount of sweat building up on Marika, she took that opportunity to end the game. She focused most of her returns to Marika's side until, eventually, Marika couldn't keep up and, at one point, was too slow to return the ball. Marika leaned on the table as she watched the ping pong ball roll away.

Though it was her defeat, she was ladylike enough to admit her loss. Everyone was quite satisfied with how enjoyable the game went, and even more so for the victors.

"Nice game, Miyamoto-san!" He held up his open hand, signaling for a high-five. She returned the gesture, slapping her hand against his and sharing a small smile with him. Raku then walked over to Marika, who was all smiles like everyone else. "And you too, I didn't think you'd get this good so fast. I'm honestly very impressed!"

Marika's smile widened even more upon hearing his praise, something she didn't expect to hear after losing. In a rush of emotions, she threw her arms around him. "Really?! Ah~, praise me more, Raku-sama!" Her sudden close contact embarrassed Raku, and her cute face made him nervous. As Raku tried to calm her down, patting her head and other methods to appease her, Shu walked beside Ruri who was getting a drink from the nearby water fountain.

"Sheesh~, I'm so jealous! I wish Raku would praise me for being a good opponent, too. I put up a good fight, right?" Ruri turned to around to see Marika now teaching Raku how to hold the paddle her way, and they seemed to be getting along quite well. She felt a small pang in her chest when she saw them sharing smiles and laughs. She was no stranger to this feeling, and even if she knew this was nothing more than just a friendly exchange for Raku, it didn't help alleviate it.

"She showed improvement, which probably impressed him more than your skill, which he probably already knew of. Your skill was less of a surprise to him than hers."

"Hmm~, I guess that makes sense. I'm still jealous, though."

"You played well, now suck it up. I'm going to bathe a second time to wash this sweat off. There's still time before the first activity. See ya." She waved to the two, saying she was heading to the bathhouse again. Marika told her to wait for her. She told Raku that they can play again later if he wished to, to which he said he would, gladly. She and Ruri walked off to the female bathhouse to freshen themselves, while Shu and Raku decided to do the same.

On the way to the bath, it was clear on her face that Marika enjoyed her first table tennis match. She started up small talk with Ruri, saying how she would like to try being her partner next time since she played so well. Ruri was happy to hear that, and after praising Marika's ability to learn fast, agreed to the partnership for their next game. Because despite their rivalry, in more ways than one, the two had somehow deepened their friendship, just as Marika had wanted.

 **~!~**

 **That wraps up the first chapter. I hope y'all enjoyed it! Hopefully, I hadn't gotten rusty with my writing during my hiatus and the quality is as you expected it to be. Feel free to leave a helpful or an appreciative review, because it always makes my day! Later, everyone!**


	15. Understanding

**Hey, everyone! I'm back! Sorry for no updating for two months. I forgot to mention this in the last chapter but I had exams this month, hence my lack of chapter updates. But I finished it a few days ago and with summer vacation now here, I hope to get back to my update schedule! I had some trouble writing this chapter as well since I simply had no idea how to progress the story from chapter 14. Ironically, trying to plan out what and how I would like things to happen slowed me down. It was only when I started free-writing that I started getting progress. Since I haven't written in two months, anything I wrote felt rusty and unsatisfactory. But after a few revisions, I came up with this chapter! And before the chapter starts, I just want to tell everyone thank you for all the positive reviews. I know some people were curious as to whether or not I still planned to continue this fic, and this chapter is your answer. Thanks for all your support because we've also hit this story's birthday~! And I promised myself I would update on this special day. So without further ado, enjoy this birthday gift for this fic!**

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"Oh man~, I built up quite the sweat." Shu spoke as he lathered his body in soap. "I didn't think you and Ruri would make a fierce team."

"Yeah, it got pretty intense there. I don't know how you taught Marika but she played like a totally different person. Ever considered taking up teaching?"

Shu chuckled at his suggestion, saying that was his back up plan. Marika was consistently aiming her shots too high. So Shu proposed holding the paddle with a pen grip might help to compensate for it. Though Shu said it wasn't that impressive of a thought process, Raku was still amazed at how he came to that simple conclusion.

"What about Ruri-chan? Did you think she would be such a good player?"

Raku gave it some thought. He recalled her saying she used to play a lot of games with her grandfather. He assumed table tennis might have been one of them. When he explained this to his friend, Shu simply laughed as if he was expecting such a bland answer.

"Raku~, you're not even going to say something like she was amazing or anything like that? You're just going to reason it away?" Raku was confused by what he meant by this. Shu wrapped his arm around Raku to bring him closer. "You've got to have more etiquette than that. Don't you think she would've wanted you to praise her as much you did to Marika?"

Shu had a point. Raku simply said, 'good job' and gave Ruri a high-five whereas he acknowledged Marika a lot more for her sudden improvement. He felt a pit of guilt well up inside him as the thought of him shrugging off Ruri's efforts came to mind.

"I didn't think of that at the time. I guess I was just going with the flow of things. You know, with how Marika played and all."

"It's understandable. But next time, don't forget those closest to you. It's easy to overlook them sometimes."

"Sheesh, there you go again trying to sound like some wise philosopher or something." Raku chuckled as he splashed water onto his friend's face. As the two friends shared a laugh, the camp guide knocked on the bathhouse door to let all the students inside know the first event was starting soon. All the males quickly finished their business and headed to their dorms to change. Once all the students had gathered in the meeting room, the first event was announced: A hike around the camp grounds to get familiar with it. Everyone was told to bring appropriate outside gear such as water, walking shoes, and other necessities.

With everyone properly equipped, they met outside the camp grounds with the other instructors and began their hike. The first entered through a forest with a path. The path was surrounded by tall trees but the leaves were sparse enough to allow enough sunlight to reach them. This created a calm and soothing atmosphere. As the entire group progressed through their hike, the guides spoke of local superstitions and legends, many of which missed the students' ears. Most of them were busy talking to their friends, or enjoying the scenery with their cameras.

The group came to a stop in front of an uphill climb. The guides told them that a hot spot was just ahead of them, at the top of the hill. Though this served as motivation for some, to many, the hill was nothing but an obstacle. Nevertheless, they had to walk up the somewhat steep hill. Many of the students were exhausted once they had reached the top of the hill. But they were rewarded with a nice view of the forest at the edge of the hill, as well as a break time to catch their breath. The first to fall to the ground were Marika and Onodera, too tired to keep their legs up.

"How are you holding up?" Ruri asked as she knelt beside Onodera.

"I'm..." Onodera took a deep breath before responding with a weak smile. "Doing fine… Thanks, Ruri-chan…" Ruri reached into Onodera's bag to grab her water bottle for her but she realized that the zipper was left somewhat open. When she pointed this out to her friend, Onodera had a look of panic on her face. She quickly searched inside her bag to make sure she didn't lose anything important. Fortunately for her, everything she needed was still inside except for her water bottle which must have fallen somewhere along the way.

Ruri was about to pull her own water bottle out until she spotted Raku drinking from his own bottle. Being the scheming cupid that she was, she instead walked up to Raku who was standing beside Shu taking pictures of the landscape. She mentioned to Raku that Onodera was feeling dehydrated from the hike and asked if he had any water to spare. He said he only brought one water bottle with him but he had enough in it to share between the two of them. He knelt beside Onodera and offered his bottle, the deeper implication of that was clear on both their faces. Though she was hesitant for a bit, she gave in to her needs and eventually took a drink. As thoughts of the indirect kiss between her and her crush flooded her mind, Onodera lost track of how long she was drinking and how much. When she realized what she was doing, it was already too late; she had drunk all of it. She apologized drinking all his water but Raku didn't mind, saying she must've been really thirsty. Though he was glad she was feeling rejuvinated again, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed at the fact he wouldn't be able to experience his own indirect kiss; it would look to conspicuous to try and drink from a clearly empty water bottle.

Raku walked to the nearest recycling bin to throw his treasured bottle away. On his way back to the group, Shu called him over. He was crouching on the ground with his camera in front of him. Shu asked if he could take a picture of the cliff scenery with Raku standing in the foreground facing away. However, the actual image looked different from how he imagined it to be. It looked dull, empty. He needed someone else to fill the empty spaces and he knew just who to call. He told Raku to stay put while he searched around for his second model.

"Hey, hey, Ruri-chan~! I have a favour to ask of you!" Ruri was just relaxing under the shade of the trees keeping Onodera company. She decided to ignore his annoying calls but with each time he did, it just seemed to get louder and longer. She was either going to end up pushing him over the cliff or listen to whatever he had to say. Choosing the one with the least consequences, she stood up from her comfortable position and headed to Shu.

"Give me a good reason why I shouldn't chuck your body over the cliff?" To anyone but Shu, her voice sounded serious.

"Well you see, this scene looks a bit empty, don't you agree?" He made a frame with his fingers pointing to Raku. Ruri asked him to get to the point or she would head back to her shade. "So~, why don't you stand beside Raku so I can get a saucier shot?" Ruri's expressed mixed to that of anger and flustered.

"Why does it have to be me of all people?"

"Your height! It's low enough so that it doesn't block the tree features at the top left of the frame." He made another frame with his fingers to emphasize the branches of leaves protruding from the edge of the frame. Being called small, Ruri wasn't sure if she wanted to do this at all.

"Maybe Miyamoto-san is just picture shy, Shu." Raku chimed in. "Maybe you could ask someone else if she doesn't want to. Maybe Tsugumi, she doesn't seem to be busy."

"Eh~, I guess that makes sense. Tsu –,"

"Fine, I'll do it. It's just one photo, right?" Ruri finally agreed. She doesn't want to admit it but perhaps the feeling of being replaced by someone else to stand beside Raku got to her. As the two stood in front of the edge, Shu took a few shots, adjusting their postures to better fit the mood. After a few more shots, he realized what he was missing.

"Ooh, I got it!" The two turned their heads to look at the ecstatic Shu. "Look into each other's eyes~." This surprised Raku and Ruri, suddenly being asked to do such an intimate pose. "Please~? Think of this as helping me with photography training. I might go to photography school, you know?" The two questioned if he was serious about going for such a career. They had gone this far to help him with his photos so the two models agreed to just get it over with.

The two looked at each other's eyes, waiting for the sound of the shutter to go off. But as the seconds ticked on, the tension of their gazes grew. The started noticing the tiny features in the other's eyes: their reflection on them, how Ruri's eyes nearly matched the bright leaves or how Raku's matched the clear sky, it all just became clear. So clear, in fact, that they noticed that it's already been half a minute. They turned to look at Shu who wasn't even looking at the camera.

"Oh, were you waiting for the shutter sound? Sorry~, I just found out you can silence it, and I wasn't sure if I should interrupt." This shot Ruri into a frenzy as she began kicking Shu on the ground while he attempted to protect his camera. Meanwhile, Marika saw what was happening and wanted to have her photo taken with Raku as well. With Ruri's anger fully vented, she returned to her shade while Shu took more photos with Raku and the other girls except for Onodera, who seemed to have dozed off against the tree.

The entire group began to move once more to continue their hike. While Raku and his harem stayed together as a pack, Shu and Ruri stayed a bit further back to not get caught up in their hijinks.

"Look, I know what you're doing. I don't need your help." Ruri spoke to Shu in a commanding tone.

"Eh~, was I that obvious? And I know you don't need it but –,"

"I don't want it either…" Ruri cut him off mid sentence. "If you want to help me, then you'd be helping someone else and you know that." Shu knew what she meant, but he couldn't understand why she was so against him helping her get closer to Raku when before she wouldn't have minded it so much. Something must have changed her mind but he didn't want to pry any further.

"If you say so~. Oh, also," He pulled out his camera and shower her his pictures of her and Raku. She had a suspicion he was just trying to piss her off and it was working. "I made a copy of all your pictures. I can either give them to you or delete them all. Your call~."

Ruri turned her face away to hide it from Shu's watchful gaze. She was biting her lip, trying to resist the temptation that she knew he had set up for her.

"Why would I want all of them anyways?" She said through her teeth.

"Is that so~? I guess I'll just –," Shu was cut off one more time by Ruri's tight grip on his sleeve. He felt like he'd been getting interrupted a lot recently.

"The only good one was the last picture, right?" Shu's smile widened upon hearing this. This rush of excitement that he felt every time he saw Ruri show her weak side was too much for him to resist. He just had to keep going even if it meant risking a punch or two.

"Mhm~, but like I thought, there's no way Ruri-chan would want these pictures?" He tried to move his arm away from her grip but was surprised by how strong enough it was to keep it in place.

"You can delete the trial photos, then." She didn't want to admit what she wanted. She refused to but Shu knew his way around with words and people's limits.

"What do I do with the copy of the last one? Tell me, Ruri-chan~. Tell me~." It was at this point, Ruri was too conflicted with what she wanted to say. There was only one thing left she could say and if that didn't resolve it, she didn't know what will.

"Jeez, shut up! Just send it to whoever you think would want such a photo!" She let go of his sleeve to massage her temple and ease the headache she got from overthinking the situation too much.

"Aye-aye, captain~." Ruri walked ahead of him and rejoined with Onodera and the others, which was better than being stuck with Shu for the rest of the hike. Shu then proceeded to delete copies of his trial photos of Raku and Ruri. When it got to the last image, he was mesmerized by it. Not by the fact that the scenery, framing and their poses were perfect, nor by the look on their faces as Ruri and Raku gazed at each other. It was the slight tint of redness visible on Ruri's cheeks that he couldn't believe Raku had missed. Though, he could say the same for Ruri as well. For such a perceptive girl, he wondered how she could miss the same tint growing on Raku too.

 _"Love can be blinding, I suppose. Aha~, Raku was right, I am trying to sound like some philosopher."_

 ** _~!~_**

 **I don't know if it's just me but I felt like my writing style has changed a bit. This was a short chapter; around 2000 words as opposed to the usual 3000. This could be just because I haven't written in a while. I hope that, despite its short length, it's packed with quality content that you all will enjoy! Until next time!**


	16. Requests

**Heyo, it's me again, Ruri~! I know it's been a while since my last update for this fanfic. I hit a huge wall when it came to writing this chapter. Similar to the last chapter, I had no idea how to continue the story after the ping pong battle. I felt like I've written myself into a corner with this arc because although I do know what the main event of this arc will be, the events before or leading up to it are not planned out. And I usually don't like adding filler chapters with content that don't impact the story in any way (I feel like I have a few of those in this story). But besides that issue, I managed to come up with a good continuation, so I hope you enjoy this chapter! :^D**

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After the long hike around the camp, the students returned to the lodge to get some rest before the next event. They were allowed to roam and explore the camp grounds as they wished, but they had to return to the camp by a certain time to prepare for the next event. Many students took their second bath at the camp before either returning to their dorm rooms for some much-needed rest or hanging out in the main rooms to chat and play games with friends.

Raku wanted to take a stroll through the forest path to get some fresh air. It wasn't very often he'd get such a serene environment in the city. So, he thought maybe he should take the opportunity to enjoy it and maybe read his novel on his small walk.

As he was making his way to the lodge exit towards the forest, Onodera spotted him about to leave. When she asked him where he was headed, he told her that he was just going to take a walk around the forest. But then images flashed through his head. Images of him and her spending time alone under the trees, watching the clouds and horizon, and if he was lucky, maybe even get the mood right for a confession. So, despite his nervousness, he asked her if she wanted to come, to which she accepted without a second thought.

The path they took was different from the hike from earlier. It had no hills to climb, just a flat path meant for the enjoyment of walking. As serene as the environment was, that didn't stop the two teenagers from being overly conscious of the situation. Being alone with their crush made them very cautious of what to say or how to act. Suddenly, in the silence of their walk, Raku's phone went off. It was a call from his friend, Shu.

"Yo, Raku~, where are you?"

"Oh, Shu. I'm just outside taking a walk."

"Alone?"

"No, Onodera's here with me." There was silence on the other end of the phone. "Oi, you still there?"

"On second thought, I'm busy right now. I'll talk to you later. Enjoy your time, Raku~!" And with that, Shu suddenly hung up, leaving Raku and Onodera in confusion. Raku sighed in exhaustion, admitting that sometimes he never knew what was going through his friend's head. He placed his phone back in his pocket and continued his stroll beside Onodera.

"Yet you're still good friends with him. I think that's a sign you two were meant to be best friends."

"I guess. We've been through a lot together since our childhood." Onodera laughed at this, drawing a comparison to her friendship with Ruri. Onodera and Ruri had been friends for a long time, yet even know, she still can't seem to read her sometimes. But despite this, they got along just fine. Onodera then started going through her favourite moments with Ruri, such as the time Ruri tried teaching her how to swim, or the time Ruri stayed behind in school to wait for her to finish her other duties. When she realized it had just been her talking this whole time, she apologized for not letting him talk.

"No, it's fine, it's nice to hear you talk…"

"Eh?!" Onodera was flustered when he said this, and Raku quickly realized what he just said.

"Passionately! Hearing you talk so passionately about your friendship with Miyamoto! Yeah, that's always nice to hear!" Raku believed he saved face back there, but he felt so stupid for letting his inner thoughts slip like that.

"R-Really? T-Thank you for listening then." She politely tried to go along with it but that only seemed to make the mistake more painful to Raku, who was beating himself over it. The atmosphere had become awkward, and the ice was already beginning to form between the two but Onodera didn't want to stop talking to him. "What about you? Do you have any fun times with Ruri-chan?"

"Hmm. Not until recently, I guess." Onodera was confused by what he meant. "We haven't really hung out a lot except for three times at a mall."

Onodera was aware of their outing at the mall that one time because he called Ruri at her phone and she picked it up instead. But she wasn't aware of the other two times and asked him about those. She had grown interested in how the two developed their friendship. As far as she'd known, they never really interacted with each other in the past. But it interested her to know how Ruri acted with another close friend besides her.

"Yeah, the first time was when we went shopping for your gift a few days before your birthday. She actually helped me decide which gift to get you since I couldn't pick between two of them." Onodera was listening intently, wanting to know how well her two friends got along. It made her happy that Ruri was being more open with others. "The third time was when we went to visit the mall on your birthday party. Oh, there's also the time I visited her in her home when she was sick. I bought some medicine for her just in case but I didn't expect her to be so stubborn. She refused to take the medicine until I persuaded her." This comment earned him a laugh from Onodera. She always knew Ruri was stubborn when it came to things she disliked. She was just surprised that medicine was one of them. Even Ruri could be childish at times, she supposed. Despite her stern personality, they both agreed that she did have her childish moments. Besides those three, nothing else came to Raku's mind, so he said those were all the fun times he had with her recently.

"I'm glad that you're getting along with Ruri-chan. Ever since I've known her, she's never been close with other people. She was introverted, so maybe I was all the friendship she needed. But still, I was hoping she would make more friends since I knew I wouldn't always be around her." She stopped walking and clasped Raku's hands between hers. She was serious about this request, so she wanted to make sure he was paying attention. "So, if you don't mind, please continue being a good friend to Ruri-chan." She clenched their hands tighter as she took a step closer. "If it's Ichijo-kun, I'm sure you can handle it." Her expectant eyes were waiting for an answer from the boy, totally ignorant of the position she had placed them both in.

"S-Sure…" The soft feeling of Onodera's hands around was heaven for Raku. He wasn't sure if he'd even get a moment like this again, just between the two of them. He wished that this moment would last forever. After receiving his response, she stepped back, relieved to know that her friend has someone else she can confide in friendship besides her. When she realized she'd been holding his hands for quite some time, she quickly pulled her hands back and apologized. Raku didn't mind, in fact the opposite, he quite enjoyed it, though he didn't admit this.

"It's just, when I'm not with her, I usually see her alone. And though I know she doesn't mind it, I still can't help but feel like she'd enjoy it more if she had someone else to talk with." Raku could understand her worry. He couldn't say the thought hadn't crossed his mind in the past whenever he saw her reading somewhere alone or when she spent her whole sick day by herself at home.

"Don't worry, she's a lot more talkative than you might think. She's an important friend to me as well." Onodera smiled gratefully upon hearing this, a sight to behold for the lovestruck teen. Onodera had always been a kind and caring person in his eyes, but seeing her care this much for Ruri only further solidified this. It would be hard for him to believe if she wasn't the promised girl he'd always been looking for. The thought of her being the promised girl was pushing him at the back of his head. A sudden burst of courage was welling up inside him, and he knew he had to say something. "B-But… Onodera's important to me as well…!" This surprised Onodera, and she was expecting something more from him.

 _"D-Don't tell me… Ichijo-kun…"_ Her expectations were running high, and she was holding her breath in anticipation.

"A-And I…"

A catchy tune rang from Onodera's pocket, effectively cutting him off mid-confession. She apologized for the interruption and took the call, which seemed urgent. While she turned away from Raku to answer her phone, he could slowly feel his courage slowly slipping away from him. At the end of her call, he had lost all his courage to confess his feelings. A wasted opportunity thanks to his bad luck. He secretly cursed her phone for ruining this opportunity.

"Sorry, Ichijo-kun, but we have to make it back to the lodge. The next activity is starting soon."

"Oh, it's fine, what can you do?" He answered with a face he strained so hard to smile. He couldn't help but feel disappointed at himself.

"B-But what were you going to say?" She was still hoping he'd say what she was expecting him to.

"Ah, w-well… I was going to say…" Unfortunately, he had lost his spine to confess. The mood, his flow, all destroyed by that single phone call. Still, he didn't want to leave her hanging for an answer. "I wanted to keep going on the path, but I guess we can't anymore, huh?" He tried laughing off his misfortune in hopes that Onodera would believe him and go along with his answer. "Anyways, we don't wanna get in trouble, so let's start heading back, ok?"

"Ah, y-yes!" The two quickened their walking pace back to the lodge so it didn't take them as long to return. The two went their seperate ways, with Raku returning to his dorm and Onodera to hers. On the way there, she crossed paths with Ruri, the caller that interrupted them. She then began lightly hitting Ruri on the arms, much to her friend's confusion.

"Huh? Did I do something wrong?"

"It feels like you did!" This just confused Ruri even more.

"I'm sorry, then?"

 **~!~**

 **A~nd that's the end of this chapter. I know I've been saying this a lot lately but I still feel like my writing skills are rusty from my 2-3 month breaks. Not using excuses, just pointing out an observation for my writing skills that I feel are unsatisfactory for me. But this is the best I could do right now. I hope through more constant writing and through constructive feedback from you guys, I can improve faster and further. So I encourage you all to give me advice on where I fall short in my writing. Much appreciated! ^^ I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	17. Bloom

**Hey there! Long time no see, my readers! Sorry I've been on hiatus for almost a full year. My school year was pretty tough and hectic, so I not only had not enough time to write, but also temporarily lost my motivation to keep writing fanfics in general. But with summer starting today, I'm glad to say that I will have more time to write now. Since I've been gone for a really long time, I won't be surprised if this chapter didn't turn out as well as my past chapters. I still tried my best to write something that I was satisfied with, and this is the result, so I hope you enjoy it! My initial plan was to introduce some tension between Ruri and Onodera, but halfway through, I decided that it was still too soon to do so. So instead, I decided to resolve that tension to help grow Onodera's character. I thought that by doing so, it would help introduce a new dynamic in Onodera and Ruri's friendship, so let's see how that goes together! Anyways, I'm glad to be back, and thank you for all the support I've gotten from you people while I was going through my hiatus!**

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The students were told to group up in a room different from the main hall. They followed the camp leaders, stopping just before large, wooden, sliding doors. In a dramatic fashion, they slid them open to reveal a huge cafeteria, making it plainly obvious what the next event was: lunch. A lot of the students cheered at this, who must have felt somewhat peckish after their recent hike. As much as Raku and his friends would have liked to share a table together, not all of them could as tables were shared by dorm numbers. Students scattered around to look for a table with their dorm number on it. Raku and Shu found their table at the back of the cafeteria near the large windows and took their seats beside each other, wondering who their table partners would be.

"Ichijo-kun, you're sitting here too?" A familiar soft voice caused his heart to almost skip a beat. As luck would have it, Onodera, as well as her dorm members, Ruri and Tsugumi, sat at the same table. "What a coincidence, huh?" Onodera tried to play it off in awe, but there was a hint of glee in her voice. Acting quickly, Ruri sat in the innermost chair closest to the window, forcing Onodera to sit in the middle chair right across Raku. Lastly, Tsugumi took her seat beside Onodera, with Shu smiling happily across her, a face that always irked her for some reason. Raku could already sense the hostile tension building up between the two but decided to let it slide. He wanted to cherish these next few moments in lunch.

Not soon after, plates of food were being distributed among the tables. The hungry teens gave their thanks before enjoying their meal. Between bites, they would strike up a conversation, talking about what they did after the hiking event, what they plan to do after lunch before the next event, anything to keep the table from being silent. Shu kept Tsugumi company in their conversations, and though a few of the things he said managed to pop her nerve here and there, he proved to be entertaining enough.

Though Raku enjoyed his lunch and talking to Onodera face to face, his eyes couldn't help but wander to the lonely figure near the window, eating silently and occasionally catching glimpses at the talkative members of her table. By this point, Ruri was used to being silent in most of the group's outings. To her, it was more preferable to sit back and enjoy the noise that to add to it.

"Ruri-chan." Onodera spoke to her friend. "Where are you planning to go after lunch?" Ruri looked up from her plate for what felt like the first time since they sat down.

"I heard from a few students earlier that there was a flower garden south of the lodge. I'm going to walk off this meal and just wait out the next event there."

"There's a flower garden here? Can I come with you?" Ruri gave a nod with a smile, always happy to spend more time with her best friend. However, something else came to mind, something she thought was far more important to her.

"How about you, Ichijo-kun? Would you like to join us?" Ruri asked.

"Well…" Raku thought about it for a bit. "If you're fine with me tagging along, sure." Ruri assured him that she was, and she nudged Onodera with her foot secretly to agree with her. There was a small pause of hesitation before Onodera agreed with Ruri.

"Then it's settled." Ruri took the last few bites to finish her plate before getting up from her seat. She excused herself from the table and went off towards the same sliding doors they entered from. Without any of them noticing, Tsugumi and Shu had gone elsewhere, their plates gone from the table, so they must've finished and left earlier without alerting the others. This left only Onodera and Raku at the table.

Onodera kept talking about their walk together excitedly. She couldn't wait to see what beautiful flora grew in the garden, as well as how many pictures she'd take with Ruri. Raku simply listened to her, admiring the innocent enthusiasm his crush held for a garden and her friend. He couldn't tell how obvious his face looked love-stricken, or how lucky he was that Onodera still hadn't noticed it. Perhaps she was too busy talking herself to notice his dreamy face, but she did notice that Raku hadn't said a word lately.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ichijo-kun. It's been only me talking, I haven't given you a chance to talk." This snapped Raku out of his trance and assured her it was no big deal. He felt the same way she did about visiting the garden, so he thought he had nothing new to add to the conversation. He did feel uneasy about one thing, so he decided to bring it up to her now that Ruri wasn't around.

"Though, I hope I'm not intruding on you two." Onodera asked him what he meant by that. "I thought you wanted to enjoy a private walk with Ruri, so I was kind of unsure how to respond to Miyamoto-san's invitation."

It was true that Onodera was hoping to spend some private time with Ruri – they haven't been able to do so recently. But it was at Ruri's request to bring Raku along, so she couldn't just go against it. Knowing her friend, Onodera could see that Ruri was scheming to bring Raku and Onodera closer together. Though she was always grateful for Ruri being this pushy, a part of her also wanted Ruri to enjoy herself a bit more, to burden herself less with her friend's love life. She'd grown aware of Ruri's developing friendship with Raku, and after her request for him to spend more time with Ruri, she thought she owed Ruri at least this much.

Onodera assured Raku, saying that Ruri probably wanted to spend time with him as well, considering how well they've been getting along lately. This reminded him of her request for him earlier, how he'd be willing to keep Ruri company if he could. With that in mind, Raku removed a few of the doubts he had about tagging along, and the two continued enjoying their meal. After finishing their meal, Raku excused himself to the washroom as well. However, due to being in unfamiliar territory, he didn't know which way was to the washroom. He wandered around the hallways until coming across Ruri returning to the dining hall. He thought he could ask her for directions as well.

In actuality, Ruri didn't need to go in the first place. She just noticed that Shu and Tsugumi had left, so it was the perfect chance to give Onodera and Raku some alone time if she left as well. She was just wandering the halls this whole time, waiting for the right time to return. But she didn't expect to meet Raku this far from the dining hall, so she figured he must've been lost. He asked if she knew where the toilets were, to which she pointed down a corridor and gave a few directions. He thanked her, but before the two parted ways, he figured it was best to ask her directly.

"Hey, Miyamoto-san. Are you sure it's fine if I tagged along with you and Onodera? I thought maybe you'd enjoy it more if it were just the two of you." This indecisive nature of Raku managed to tick Ruri off a bit. He had already said yes earlier, and now he's thinking of backing out, out of consideration of her? Did Onodera say something that made him think twice? Thinking about it only ticked her off more.

 _"What is this spineless guy spouting? Do you realize you're jeopardizing my plans and yourself with that attitude of yours?"_ She walked up to him, fuming with annoyance. Even Raku could tell that he might have stepped on a land mine. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to come. Don't tell me you're planning on ditching me?"

"N-No, of course not! I was just thinking of your feelings, that's all!"

 _"Thinking about my feelings? If you were that considerate of other people's feelings, I wouldn't need to push you and Onodera together so often."_ She took one more step forward towards the boy, who was feeling a tad bit intimidated by her presence. "I want you to come with me, is that clear, Ichijo-kun?" By now, he felt like his knees were about to give way. His heart was pounding heavily, he swore she could hear it too. He felt like he had no choice but to oblige, and his nod was met with a softer, approving gaze. "Good, I'm looking forward to it then." She said as she walked back to the dining hall, with her temper seemingly disappeared in an instant. _"Sheesh, do I always have to be on the offensive with this guy?"_

Once Raku returned to the table with Onodera and Ruri already there, the three didn't waste any time making their way to the garden. With Ruri being the only one to know the route, she led the way, leaving Onodera and Raku in their own bubble behind her. This was only phase one of her plan. The next phase was to leave them in the garden with an excuse to head back to the lodge. If a flower garden wasn't a romantic enough atmosphere to push the two to confess, she thought there was no hope for them.

When the trio reached the garden, they were in awe at all the various types of flowers growing there. At the center of the garden was a fountain, complimented by flora growing around it. Among the three, Onodera seemed the most ecstatic, crouching near some of the flowers to smell and see them better. One such flower piqued her interest. It was quite bright and large, and Onodera described it only as 'fluffy'.

"I forgot what these flowers were called. It's at the back of my tongue." Onodera rubbed her chin, trying to recall the name.

"it's a chrysanthemum, Onodera." Raku spoke up.

"That's right! Thanks, Ichijo-kun!" Her smile only got brighter once she remembered the name. To Raku, the flowers' paled in comparison to her bright smile. He mentioned that he only knew it because it was mentioned in a light novel of his and got curious to what it looked like. The three walked around a bit more before another flower caught Onodera's eyes. However, this time, the flower wasn't as bright as the others. It appeared to be withering faster than the others. "This one's withering already. Its color is so beautiful though, I wish I could've seen it in full bloom."

"Do you know what species that is, Ichijo-kun, based on that book?" Ruri asked, to which he said he hasn't seen it mentioned in the book. "I guess you're not that far into it yet, huh? Slow poke." She teased Raku before crouching near Onodera. "It's called a Morning Glory, and it blooms in the morning and withers in the afternoon. It generally represents unrequited or restricted love and reminds us that it doesn't always lead to a happy end."

"Isn't that kind of sad, Ruri-chan?" She sorrowfully looked at the petals of the once blooming flower, thinking to what it meant, and how she could relate to it in a way.

"Maybe. But the fact that one a new one could bloom in the morning means there's still hope right?" Hearing this lifted Onodera's spirits, giving her a sense of hope that there was still a chance, both for these flowers and for herself. Ruri got up from her position and dusted herself off. She walked back beside Raku, who was also admiring a few flowers. "So," Her accentuated tone drew Raku's attention to her. "I'm guessing you haven't gotten to chapter 17 yet if you don't remember the characters mentioning Morning Glories and their significance."

"You never fail to amaze me knowing these details." He said sounding almost unsurprised.

"I did recommend you my favourite novels. It's only natural I know these things about them." As the two continued talking, Onodera noticed that they got more talkative with each other. Seeing her friend talk so freely with someone other than her made her feel lighter, as though concern was lifted of her shoulders. She wanted to capture this moment with a photo, but she realized at that moment that she had forgotten to bring her camera. She looked at her watch and noted that she still had time to go back and take pictures of the flower.

"Sorry, guys. I forgot to bring my camera with me, so I'm heading back to get it. You two can stay here and enjoy the view longer."

Ruri saw this as a great excuse for her to leave the two alone. If she was the one fetching the camera, she could just take her time, giving the two lovebirds more time together and develop some romantic tension. She volunteered to get it instead, and she was expecting Onodera to go along with it. But before Ruri could walk away, Onodera stopped her by grabbing onto her sleeve.

"N-No, it's fine, Ruri-chan. I'm the one who forgot it, so I should be the one to get it." By this point, Ruri was seriously questioning Onodera's motives. Ruri knew Onodera was aware of what she was planning, so she couldn't understand why she was just throwing away this opportunity over a few shots of flowers.

"I really don't mind. Just look at more flowers with Ichijo-kun so you know which ones to capture when I return. That makes sense, right?" She desperately tried to reason with her friend, but it still didn't seem to sway her.

"Listen, Ruri-chan…" Her grip tightened on Ruri's sleeve. If she didn't leave soon, Ruri knew he plan would fall to a bitter end.

"Kosaki…!"

"How about I go?" Raku said bluntly. "My shoes were meant for running anyways, So I could run quicker to get it." Before Onodera could object, Ruri interrupted her.

"Make it quick then. Our dorm number is 13. You can ask Marika for help if anyone gets suspicious of you going into the girl's dorm." With that, Raku sprinted off, leaving the two conflicted girls in the flower garden. Without a word, Onodera sat on a ledge of the fountain and Ruri followed suite. The atmosphere was tense, and Onodera didn't what to say besides apologize.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry… Kosaki. I probably shouldn't have pushed it that far." Ruri was the first to apologize for how she acted. She still didn't know why Onodera was so against her plan today when she was always fine with it in the past. Was it the location? The mood? Was it her? She could rack her brain all day and she doubted she could come up with a reasonable answer. All she knew was she somehow upset her best friend, and she had to make amends for it.

"No. I'm sorry Ruri-chan. I know what you were trying to do, I appreciate it, but I blew it. Sorry." Onodera apologized a second time.

"But why? After all those times, why turn me down now? Did something happen earlier while I was away?"

There was silence on Onodera's part, and if she didn't want to answer, Ruri would have been fine with it. But Onodera didn't want to leave her friend in the dark. After all that Ruri had done for her, she didn't deserve to be kept from something this simple. She deserved to know at least this much.

"Earlier, before lunch, I was talking to Ichijo-kun about how he's gotten on friendlier terms with you lately. I've never seen you get this close with someone else before. Usually, when you're not with me, you're off somewhere by yourself. But I can see that, with Ichijo-kun, you can talk about light novels or have a fun time together in malls. I thought, maybe, this is my chance to help Ruri-chan, you know? But looking back, it was probably rude of me to do that without your permission. You probably think I'm pitying you for being lonely." Onodera didn't know what else to say after that. She had confessed her plan and apologized for it as well. She only hoped that Ruri would forgive her.

"Yeah, definitely, you're totally pitying lonely little me." Ruri said in a deadpan face. Onodera panicked, trying to explain that she never thought of it like that before Ruri calmed her down saying she was only joking. "I understand what you're trying to do. I mean, that's what I've been doing to you too, trying to get you and Ichijo-kun to grow some backbone. But, I don't think you have to do this for me. True, he and I have been able to get along lately, and I would like to get along even more, but I didn't need a push from you to do so. Trust me when I say this, I can rely on my own strength to accomplish my goals."

Onodera had never seen Ruri this confident before. To rely on her own to get closer with Ichijo-kun, when Onodera herself couldn't even muster the courage to go through with most of Ruri's plans to get her to confess her feelings. This made her want to improve as well, not just for her sake, but for Ruri's too. She didn't want to always rely on Ruri to help her out like this. Just like Ruri, Onodera knew she had to rely on her own strength to eventually confess on her own terms. With this newfound resolve, Onodera stood up from the ledge to face Ruri properly.

"I trust you, Ruri-chan. I'm sure if its you, you can get even friendlier Ichijo-kun." Hearing this from Onodera made Ruri smile. She was glad that they were able to make up so easily. "That's why, starting from now, I want to stop depending on you so much."

"Huh?"

"After I tried to push you and Ichijo-kun together, I realized that you had already grown, and that I still haven't. I still couldn't pick myself up to do the things you wanted me to do right. T-That's why I want to grow too. I want to be able to…" She was embarrassed to say the next line, but the flow of the scene pushed her to finish it. "C-Confess my feelings to Ichijo-kun with my own strength!"

Ruri looked in wonder. The person standing in front of her was different from the one she had always known. She was stronger, and more confident. With that, she knew there was nothing else she could do to persuade Onodera otherwise, to allow Ruri to keep helping her. All she could do was feel proud of her and smile for her friend.

"That's pretty bold of you, Kosaki. Announcing that out loud when Ichijo-kun's right there." She pointed off to a tall patch of grass. Onodera quickly spun around to look in the direction she pointed at, panicking that she made such a declaration without thinking that anyone else besides Ruri would be able to hear. "Just kidding~."

"Ruri-chan~!" She started lightly punching Ruri's shoulder, trying her best to scold her teasing friend.

"What? I thought you wanted to confess with your own strength?"

"I-I-I'm not ready yet, obviously! I-I still need to steel myself for when the timing is right." It seemed Onodera still had some growing to do, Ruri thought. After calming herself down, Onodera took her seat again beside Ruri. "I also want to see you and Ichijo-kun get along even more. I can tell your enjoyment when you talk to him, and it makes me happy when I notice it. Same with him when he talks about the things you two have done. He enjoys the time you two spend together too."

 _"Is that so…"_ Hearing this made Ruri's heart flutter. It felt nice that Raku thought about her and their outings like that. He'd always tell her directly he enjoyed it but hearing him share it with someone else was entirely different, as if there was an extra layer of confirmation behind his words. Ruri found it silly that she'd feel joy from such a simple thing and brushed the thoughts aside. "I guess I'll take you up on that offer." The two girls smiled in unison at each other, glad to have made up from their earlier conflict, which now seemed like trivial banter.

Just then, footsteps could be heard from the path they entered. Raku was panting heavily as though he had run a marathon. He explained that a few things happened, and it required him to lose Marika first before he could even leave the lodge with Onodera's camera. He gave Onodera the camera and she began taking photos of flowers that caught her eye, while Raku and Ruri watched her gleefully snap photos endlessly. Not wanting to interrupt Onodera and her photo spree, Raku continued the conversation he had with Ruri earlier, and Ruri gladly followed.

As the three walked around the garden once more, Onodera noticed that the Morning Glory from earlier had withered even more, losing a lot of its vibrancy and texture. She crouched down to inspect it, and looking closely at its stem, she noticed that a new bud was ready to blossom beside it.

"If only I had arrived earlier with the camera, maybe it would have still looked nice enough to photograph."

"it's fine, Ichijo-kun." Onodera stood up, ready to walk forward to the next flower. "I'm sure a new one will bloom tomorrow in the morning." She started shyly fidgeting with her camera, facing away from Raku to hide her red face. "S-So… If you don't mind, maybe you could accompany me back here tomorrow to take more photos?"

"S-Sure, I'd be happy to!" Hearing Raku say yes to her invitation felt like a huge leap forward towards her goal. Maybe confessing her feelings was still a long way ahead for her, but she was content knowing she had taken her first step without Ruri's help. The flowers around her now seemed more vibrant than ever and she couldn't help but take more pictures to keep her mind off the embarrassment she was feeling.

Ruri was glad to see her friend grow even just a little bit. She realized that maybe her plans weren't as perfect as she believed them to be. Rather than pushing her to confess on the spot, it might have been better to help her gain some confidence first. She regretted not realizing this sooner, but better late than never, she supposed. _"Guess I should hold my end of the deal if she's going to take this seriously."_ She nudged Raku with her elbow, gaining his attention. "There's a light novel that's been getting some good reviews lately. I want to check it out sometime this weekend, want to check it with me? I think you'd like it, too."

"I'll make sure I'm free this weekend then." Raku responded with a smile, and though her face didn't express much, he could tell she was glad he said yes.

"That's good to hear."

As the two discussed the details of their outing, Onodera took time out of her flower photography to secretly take a photo of the two distracted teens. As though the photo was a flower, she gazed at it with delight and treasured it. Because of all the pictures she had taken in the garden, that was her favourite by far.

 **~!~**

 **So, how was it? Did you enjoy it? I feel like I wrote a lot for this chapter, like, it was 4000 words. Maybe that's because I'm rusty and I lost my flow in writing so I'm just chugging out words to tell a story. I'd like to know what my readers think, and if there's anyway I can improve my writing. So feel free to leave constructive criticism in the review section so I can get back on track and write better quality chapters from here on out! I'm curious to see how Onodera V2.0 will change how I approach the story and characters. And as always, I tried to put some symbolism in this chapter 'cuz I'm pretentious like that, haha~! Anyways, I'll see you all next chapter!**


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